ACSESS And PROMEGA Are Recognized as Co-Winners of the 2025 WI SHRM Inclusion & Belonging AWARD
Since 2008—except for in 2020 due to COVID—the WI SHRM State Council has proudly recognized organizations across Wisconsin for their efforts and accomplishments in the areas of diversity, inclusion, belonging, and access. This award has had different names over its 17-year history – from the Diversity Advocate Award to the Diversity, Inclusion and Workflex Award to today’s Inclusion, Belonging, and Access Award. Whatever the name, the goal of WI SHRM’s annual award has remained the same: to recognize Wisconsin employers for their efforts and accomplishments in the areas of inclusion and belonging, to honor employers who are making a positive difference in our state and the communities we serve.
With changes in the legal landscape and guidance from national SHRM, the 2025 award criteria followed SHRM’s BEAM framework – Belonging Enhanced by Access through Merit, built on five core principles.
- Inclusion: Are opportunities open to all, regardless of protected status.
- Access for All: Do initiatives designed to engage talent from every background.
- Merit-Driven: How is selection and advancement based on job-related qualifications and performance, with lawful accommodations.
- Inclusive and Accessible Information: What are the transparent, broad-reaching communications to ensure equal access.
- Skills-First Optimization: Are there skill-building opportunities for all eligible people to compete fairly.
When reviewing our 2025 nominations, we used SHRM’s BEAM toolkit, which empowers HR professionals, executives, and enterprise leaders to implement legally compliant inclusion and belonging initiatives that drive business performance, innovation, and workforce unity. The goal was to recognize an organization that holistically embraces inclusion, belonging, and access for all employees, evidenced through intentional leadership, thoughtful policies, and consistent behaviors.
For the first time, WI SHRM was pleased to name co-winners of the award: ACSESS, the Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies, and Promega, also the 2024 award winner. Both nominations exemplified the practices our State Council seeks to recognize.
The Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies (ACSESS) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization providing management and administrative support services to its founding members: the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), which serve as the professional home for over 7,900 members and 13,000 certified professionals in agronomic, crop, soil, and environmental science. The headquarters office for these international Societies is based in Madison, Jim Cudahy, CEO of ACSESS, accepted the WI SHRM award, emphasizing practices deeply embedded in the organization’s work culture. ACSESS’s nomination reflected the BEAM framework, showcasing measurable outcomes such as advancements in pay equity, the implementation of inclusive benefits that enhance accessibility, strong employee engagement survey results, and universal access to professional development. Together, these initiatives demonstrate ACSESS’s sustained commitment to building an inclusive, equitable, and accessible workplace.
Promega Corporation is a global leader in delivering innovative solutions and technical support to the life sciences industry. With a portfolio of more than 4,000 products, the company empowers a wide range of scientific work. Over the past 45 years, Promega’s tools and technologies have expanded in scope and are now integral to laboratories worldwide—supporting academic and government research, forensics, pharmaceuticals, clinical diagnostics, as well as agricultural and environmental testing. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, Promega operates branches in 16 countries and employs over 2,000 people, including approximately 1,400 at its main campus. In 2025, Clara Tavarez, Organizational Development Partner, proudly accepted the WI SHRM award on behalf of the company. Consistently recognized as an employer of choice, this honor adds to Promega’s growing list of accolades, including USA TODAY Top Workplaces, repeated recognition as a Top Workplace in the Greater Madison area, and BioSpace’s 2024 Best Place to Work. Highlights from Promega’s nomination include rising employee engagement scores, the implementation of comprehensive and meaningful benefits strategies, and the integration of human-first design supported by innovative tools. Among these is generative AI, which Promega leverages to strengthen empathy-driven leadership. The company is also expanding the use of other AI-powered solutions to further shape and sustain a culture centered on inclusion, belonging, and access. “Inclusion, belonging, and access at Promega are not just policies; they are dynamic practices shaped by innovation,
empathy, and a commitment to continuous learning.”
The leadership demonstrated by both award winners has opened doors, built bridges, and fostered cultures where belonging is not simply an aspiration, but a lived reality. By naming co-winners this year, WI SHRM underscores that meaningful, merit-based inclusion and belonging are not about competition, but about collaboration—made stronger when shared. The WI SHRM State Council is honored to recognize ACSESS and Promega for exemplifying the values at the heart of this award.
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