Paving the Way to Diversity and Inclusion

Read time: 5 minutes

During Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, McKesson celebrates the many ways our AAPI employees are driving our vision of better health forward. Through our Pan-Asian Voices for Excellence (PAVE) employee resource group (ERG), our company embraces exciting opportunities to honor their personal heritage while honing their professional future.

Meet two McKesson employees whose active involvement with PAVE amplifies the power of our diverse perspectives to connect and care for our customers, employees and communities of all backgrounds and experiences.

Frank Geslani, Manager, Corporate Communications: Diversity Hits Home

Where he started:

Frank and his family immigrated to the United States from the Philippines when he was six years old. While many in his native country yearned for the freedom and economic opportunity in America, Frank dreamed of living in Disneyland – until he visited the amusement park, where the tiny, animated characters he adored were transformed into “terrifying” costumed giants that made his fairly conventional home a lot more appealing.

And it’s at home where his cultural identity was shaped. He fondly recalls weekends with an extended circle of family and friends enjoying enormous spreads of Filipino foods, such as pancit (a noodle dish), lumpia (a spring roll), and Filipino barbeque. They also shared stories of life in the Philippines and sang karaoke. That family-centered upbringing defines how he lives his life today with his wife and three children.

“I feel fortunate to work for a company that values family and gives you the flexibility to put your family at the center of how you operate daily.”

What he does for McKesson:

Family also brought Frank to McKesson. Two years ago, his father, now a retired emergency room doctor, suggested that Frank check out job openings at McKesson’s headquarters in nearby Irving, Texas. Today, he helps lead editorial content on McKNet, McKesson’s employee intranet, among other employee-facing channels.

“In my family, everyone’s a doctor or a nurse. I'm the black sheep who never considered a career in healthcare. I wanted to be a writer, and McKesson gave me an opportunity to bridge that gap between their experiences and mine. I love being a part of the work that McKesson is doing and impact we’re making.”

What PAVE means to him:

Before he came to McKesson, Frank had never worked at an organization with ERGs. But when he saw how visible and pivotal McKesson’s ERGs are, he was hooked. Shortly after joining PAVE, he raised his hand to be the chair for the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter and, to his surprise, was selected for the role. While it was an intensive immersion in the company, the ERG, and the leadership skills required for the role, he explains that it was also an excellent way to get out of his comfort zone and increase his visibility within the company.

Since then, Frank has led efforts to highlight the complex diversity of Asian-American cultures. He organized a Filipino Heritage Month celebration in October 2021 and is now pursuing similar events spotlighting other AAPI backgrounds. He also appreciates the national PAVE leadership’s work to help McKesson enhance awareness and connections around culturally significant issues such as the Stop Asian Hate movement.

“McKesson supports employees’ learning and development journey. That's been one of the highlights of my career so far, helping me develop as a people leader, increase my visibility, and get out of my comfort zone. It’s been such an enriching, eye-opening and gratifying experience.”

Ana English, Senior Director, Enterprise COVID-19 Vaccine Program: Once Retired, Now Inspired with PAVE

Where she started:

It’s perhaps no surprise that Ana English speaks five languages fluently. Born in India, she was just four years old when she and her family moved to Dubai. She attended an English school run by Italian nuns, graduated with students comprising 39 nationalities, and then moved to the United States to earn her degree in economics from The University of Texas in Austin.

“Being exposed to many cultures, you learn while people are different, they’re also the same. They care about their families, their jobs, what they do in the communities, and how they can make a difference in the world.”

What she does for McKesson:

After a 20-year banking career, Ana took an 18-month break to stay home with her two young children before pursuing a new professional adventure completely outside her comfort zone at McKesson. Five years ago, she joined the company as director of project management for product strategy and supplier partnerships at McKesson Medical-Surgical (MMS).

Then the pandemic hit, and she took the lead on managing and implementing McKesson’s top-priority COVID-19 Vaccine Program in support of the U.S. government. Today, Ana is continuing this critical work with the government as it plans current and future phases of its COVID-19 response.

“The mission of helping save lives came to fruition in the most incredible and meaningful way, and I’ve been able to experience heroic and selfless teamwork by the world-class talent at our company. Words will never be able to describe the ultimate highlight of my career.”

What PAVE means to her:

When a teammate introduced Ana to PAVE in 2019, she enthusiastically joined the national organization before helping launch a local chapter in Richmond, Va. Her goal was not only to bring increased awareness of McKesson as an employer of choice within the Richmond area, but also to highlight the ERG’s vision and showcase McKesson’s support of diversity, equity and inclusion within the local community.

Today, Ana and her peers in PAVE are making a concerted effort to educate their colleagues about the vast diversity of the numerous AAPI cultures and break down societal bias around Asian-Americans. One of the ways they’re fulfilling this mission is through fun and educational engagement opportunities in their community, including bringing food and playing games from multiple AAPI backgrounds. In October 2019, for example, she led an effort to organize McKesson’s presence at the India Festival in Richmond, which helped get more of her MMS colleagues engaged in the ERG’s purpose and helped those in the local Indian community learn more about McKesson as an employer of choice.

“PAVE is doing an exceptional job of helping more people appreciate and enjoy learning about Asian-American cultures. It helps break down societal bias while creating exceptional networking opportunities. That's what ERGs are all about.”