Top Corporate Allies for Diversity Gala to be Held 10/23 in NYC

Difference Matters Magazine (incorporating Work Life Matters) is pleased to announce that CA Technologies, CIGNA, Discovery Communications, Honey Maid, Interpublic Group (IPG), Morgan Stanley, Nielsen, Quest Diagnostics, Turner Construction and Viacom will be honored at its 'TOP Corporate Allies for Diversity' Awards Gala Thursday evening, October 23, in New York City. These leading organizations are being honored for their steadfast and pioneering commitment and support of employees in one or more of these five categories: LGBT, Disabilities, Women, People of Color, and Veterans.

"We are pleased to pay tribute to these outstanding organizations for recognizing the importance of accommodating and supporting a diverse business climate, thereby enabling everyone to contribute in a unique and significant way," says Dr. Lori Sokol, Founder and Publisher, Difference Matters Magazine and Sokol Media Inc. "This is the reason for changing the name of our magazine, because differences do matter."

Twelve 'Pioneering Women in Real Estate' will also be honored in Sokol Media's special annual real estate magazine for their outstanding accomplishments in a field still dominated by men. This will include a special tribute to Mary Dietz, AIA, Design Manager at Silverstein Properties, for spearheading the development of the Retail Hub at the new World Trade Center site.

Additional Honorees Include:

Carolyn BaRoss (Perkins & Will)

Laura Bush (Lend Lease)

Susan Clamage (Gensler)

JJ Falk (JJ Falk Interior Design)

Amy Frankel (IF Studio)

Highlyann Krasnow (MNS)

Sara Mirski (The Sapir Organization)

Abbie Newman (Abigail Michaels Concierge)

Ilana Schwartz (Online Marketing Group)

Ellen Sinreich (Green Edge, LLC)

Diana Sweeney (Energy Watch)

Orah Weisberg (SRW Engineers)

*A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the non-profit organization NEW

(Non-Traditional Employment for Women).

Lori Sokol is one of the nation's most influential writers and editors covering women's issues, politics, business, and LGBT issues. A regular contributor to The Huffington Post and host of the Radio Show, "Work Life Matters with Dr. Lori Sokol" on 1490AM WGCH, she has written for The New York Times business blog, Slate, The Baltimore Sun, Women's eNews, and several other publications. Sokol is a frequent guest on television, appearing on MSNBC, NY1 News, Fox News, WPIX News, and CNBC. Her book, The Agile Workplace and Workforce: The New Future of Work, was published by Working Mother Media in October, 2011.

Loreen Arbus, Producer/Disability Rights Activist and President of the Loreen Arbus Foundation, and Dara Richardson-Heron, M.D., CEO of the YWCA USA, will serve as panelists at the Gala.

Loreen Arbus, the first woman to head up programming at a major U.S. television network and a longtime Disability Rights Activist, will discuss the topic of people with disabilities and the challenges they face in the workplace. She recently served as Executive Producer of the acclaimed award winning documentary, A Whole Lott More, which focuses on this important issue. She has been honored for her philanthropy by President William Clinton with the "Heart of Giving" award.

Dara Richardson-Heron, M.D., is the CEO of the YWCA USA, leading one of the nation's oldest and largest multicultural organizations promoting solutions to enhance the lives of women, girls, and families. Last year, she was named as one of the 21 Leaders for the 21st Century by Women's eNews and was listed on The Nonprofit Times' "Power & Influence Top 50 " list.

Dr. Richardson-Heron will discuss current issues and trends affecting women in the workplace.

In addition to the Awards Gala, all honorees will be profiled in the pages of Difference Matters Magazine, a national publication that reaches 5,000 CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and Human Resource Directors at Fortune 1,000 companies throughout the U.S. Now in its 12th year of publication, the magazine's previous honorees have included such leading organizations as Alcoa, Avon, Credit Suisse, Deloitte, Eli Lilly, ESPN, Intel, Mastercard International, MetLife, Microsoft, NBC Universal, Office Depot, TD Bank, The New York Times, Unilever, and United Airlines, among others.