Carolynn Brooks – Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer
Smart people make a smart company, and that’s a major reason why supplier diversity at OfficeMax stands out. Each member of the OfficeMax Supplier Diversity team brings a wealth of experience, an innovative perspective and a strong passion to their role. Get to know the passionate individuals who make diversity at OfficeMax a guiding principle, and see how they help create a unique supplier diversity program and stronger communities.
Carolynn Brooks currently serves as Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer for OfficeMax. In this role, she is responsible for the strategic direction of all initiatives designed to create a diverse workforce and promote inclusive practices to achieve the company’s strategic business imperatives. Ms. Brooks has responsibility for Workforce Diversity, Supplier Diversity, EEO/AAP and Community Affairs. She is chairman of the OfficeMax Diversity Council and President of the OfficeMax Charitable Foundation.
Ms. Brooks joined OfficeMax in 2001 in human resources and was responsible for the integration of the merger and consolidation of OfficeMax and Boise Cascade. In 2006, Ms. Brooks saw the impact of merging two different business cultures together and developed the strategy for creating a culture of inclusion and a dynamic work environment that promotes diverse perspectives and solutions to help customers do their best work. Under her leadership, the OfficeMax Diversity Council oversees the strategic plans, metrics and practices that make diversity and inclusion a business imperative; and in 2011 she has taken leadership of the newly formed Supplier Diversity Committee to strengthen the company’s supplier diversity business solutions.
Ms. Brooks also led in the creation and launch of OfficeMax Associate Resource Groups in 2008, and today OfficeMax is proud to host nine Associate Resource Groups. These associate led-groups were developed to help OfficeMax promote broader associate understanding and appreciation of diverse experiences and perspectives and identify solutions to workplace barriers. She also oversees OfficeMax’s community outreach to ensure that the company expands into the communities where we do business through our associate volunteer program and community outreach efforts.
In 2011, Ms. Brooks was recognized by Black Enterprise as a top executive in Diversity; and she was also profiled in the Diversity Business Journal as an Executive Woman Worth Watching. She is the recipient of the 2011 African American Women’s Business Conference Egretha Award for her work and commitment to community service. In 2010, Ms. Brooks received National Diversity Council’s award as one of Illinois’ Most Powerful and Influential Women. In 2009, Ms. Brooks was awarded the Diversity Officer Leadership Award by Diversity Best Practices in Washington, DC for her innovative solutions and outstanding contributions to workplace diversity and inclusion. Ms. Brooks is known for her tagline: “Creating a new way of doing business through diversity.”
Ms. Brooks attended Howard University and is on the Board of the Chicago Metropolitan YWCA, the National Hispanic Corporate Council (NHCC) and Kids in Need Foundation. She is a former member of Du Page County Workforce Board and the Board of Exceed Financial Credit Union.
