Staff Reports | Community Updates
Scottsdale nonprofit Community Celebrating Diversity is seeking nominations for its annual Diversity Champions Awards.
The selected nominees are recognized and honored each year at the annual Scottsdale Celebrates MLK Jr. community dinner event, which will be held at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, at The Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, according to a press release.
“Scottsdale’s Diversity Champions are individuals who exemplify the philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and who have enriched and impacted the Scottsdale community through their work and/or volunteerism by empowering others,” said CCD Board Member Michelle Pabis, in a prepared statement.
Each Diversity Champion Award recipient will be a person who has greatly impacted Scottsdale by empowering others.
In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., they will have lived, worked, or volunteered in the community to bring diverse groups together and to promote civil and human rights in the pursuit of justice for all.
The nomination process is currently open. Deadline is noon Friday, October 31, 2025.
The electronic nomination form is available HERE.
Nominators will be asked to provide a one-page written statement describing the nominee’s accomplishments and community involvement that describe how the nominee encouraged positive human relations in Scottsdale and personified Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s philosophy of nonviolence, unity, and respect for all people.
Eligible nominees must live, work or volunteer in Scottsdale.
Roger Lurie, Dr. Joel P. Martin, and Dr. Priya Radhakrishnan were recognized as the 2025 Diversity Champions, joining the many other Diversity Champions honored since the recognition program started in 2001.
