Lynette Chappell-Williams, director of the Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity and Life Quality at Cornell University, has been named a 2006 Rising Star by Human Resource Executive magazine for "having demonstrated leadership in her current position, for the significant HR initiatives and programs that she and her staff have launched and for her ability to tackle major HR challenges."

Chappell-Williams, who joined Cornell in 1999, ensures that the university is in compliance with equal employment opportunity, disability accommodation and affirmative action laws and regulations. She articulated a strategic plan for the university's diversity/inclusiveness initiative and has implemented numerous programs to enhance the life quality of Cornell staff and faculty.

Chappell-Williams works to maintain the university's commitment to diversity and inclusiveness in its broadest sense as Ezra Cornell articulated when he founded Cornell as an institution where "any person can find instruction in any study." She carries out this commitment through many communications, training programs and social events, and through the development and implementation of the Bias Response Program and the Child Care Grant and Adoption Assistance programs.

"Lynette has brought a wealth of knowledge, experience and positive energy to the university. She has propelled the university to high aspirations, using innovative and cutting-edge strategies, always improving our efforts and goals and never settling for the ordinary or commonplace," noted Mary George Opperman, vice president for human resources at Cornell.

Kristen Frasch, managing editor for Human Resource Executive magazine, said that Chappell-Williams was a strong front-runner in the competition not only for her initiatives and determination to see them realized, but also for being "clearly very passionate about what she does."