Time Warner Cable’s workplace diversity program is set-up to make those from different backgrounds feel included. A mentoring component pairs up senior management with lower-level employees. “We will be working with them to understand what they need, so they can continue to learn and to grow,” said Deborah Picciolo, president of the North Los Angeles division that includes the San Fernando Valley and one of the executives who will take part as a mentor. In December 2006, Time Warner Cable started a 9-member diversity council to manage its inclusion efforts and set out priorities for employees and customers, Picciolo said. The council has begun efforts to develop a management diversity training program that 75 percent of company leaders will complete by the end of 2007; an employee mentoring program; community outreach through events and volunteer activities; a supplier-diversity program to provide more opportunities to small, minority and women-owned businesses; and employee outreach that will include a new diversity and inclusion section to the new hire orientation class. The makeup of the council reflects the different types of jobs Time Warner Cable has available, including upper management such as Picciolo, but also technical supervisors and marketing managers, said Patricia Rockenwagner, the regional vice president of communications. The company also has a reputation for its community outreach programs. According to M.C. Townsend, executive director of the Regional Black Chamber of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley, “Time Warner is an exemplary example of corporate responsibility in the community.” She went on to say that since the chamber’s inception more than seven years ago, they have financially supported chamber events, underwritten projects and have come through with volunteer help or materials the chamber needs. Being a communications company, overcoming language barriers is also an important goal of the company. When recruiting new employees, Time Warner goes into the Korean and Hispanic communities to insure that bilingual speakers are available when necessary, Picciolo said. Language differences are also addressed in the company’s programming. A package is available for shows broadcast in both English and Spanish. Asian-language and Russian-language programming is also available in areas of the city with large populations speaking those languages. “We’ve adjusted our programming to meet the needs of those communities,” Rockenwagner said.