Karen Cusmano, senior vice president and head of sustainability and ESG at Veris Residential (NYSE: VRE), sat down for a video interview at Nareit’s REITworks: 2024 Sustainability & Social Responsibility Conference, held in McLean, Virginia from Sept. 10-12. Veris won Nareit’s 2024 Diversity Impact Mid Cap award.
Cusmano shared insights into the company’s diversity and inclusion initiatives following their recent Nareit award win. She explained that Veris has worked to integrate D&I deeply into its corporate structure, notably beginning with a board reconstitution and formation of an ESG committee in 2020.
“We have a saying at Veris that we embrace our differences while finding commonalities,” Cusmano said, emphasizing that this ethos is core to the REIT’s operations.
Veris’s efforts include regular heritage celebrations and employee resource groups, which provide a platform for employees to connect and share experiences. Cusmano highlighted that these initiatives help foster stronger interpersonal relationships across the workforce.
“We just look to make an environment where everyone feels comfortable and has equal opportunity to thrive,” she noted.
Looking ahead, Cusmano expressed Veris’s commitment to maintaining and expanding D&I initiatives in 2025. The company plans to deepen engagement with employees and local communities, including recent partnerships with schools in Newark, N.J., and Boston for community outreach projects. Despite varying public sentiment, Cusmano affirmed that Veris remains “steadfast in our commitment to being a diverse, inclusive owner and operator,” positioning the company as a potential model for others in the industry.