
The Avery Dennison Foundation: Empowering the World in the Face of a Sustainability Crisis
As President of the Avery Dennison Foundation, Alicia Procello Maddox is tasked with finding new and unique methods of helping those who are less fortunate – both domestically and beyond. Giving back to the community has been a goal for Alicia Procello Maddox throughout her professional career. As a philanthropic executive for a number of the biggest and most widespread corporations in the US, Alicia Procello Maddox has resources behind her that few, if any, can match. And through her tireless efforts, and the support from her team, the Avery Dennison Foundation has helped usher in a new era in corporate responsibility. They have helped educate and empower men and women in the developing world on sustainability and eco-friendly farming practices; provided scholarships and education grants to students in underfunded countries like China, and India. Alicia Procello Maddox has led the Avery Dennison Foundation to bolster the position of women in certain old-fashioned societies like Argentina, Mexico, China, and India.
Throughout her career in corporate America, Alicia Procello Maddox has used her position as a high-ranking philanthropic executive to provide a blueprint for other organizations and companies. Her example has truly been an agent of change – helping others in similar positions see the importance of making positive change today. With our world in almost constant flux, and our access to natural resources dwindling, those in positions of power must use their access to not only make change themselves, but to educate others on how and why they can become a part of such change.
Corporations not only have the funds, but the voice to truly be a powerful agent of change. Some of the methods used by Alicia Procello Maddox and her team at the Avery Dennison Foundation involve the formation of localized sustainability groups, that not only enact the change but will continue to pass on the message today and for years to come. One such group that was formed within a small farming community in Mexico, in conjunction with Greenpeace, empowers local women to take a more active role within the farming industry, and other local affairs of the community at large. This is especially important as communities such as this one, have traditionally been a patriarchal society in which the men assumed almost all the working duties – essentially the community’s farming practices.
By educating these local women on the importance of environmental sustainability and what it means to the future of our planet, Alicia Procello Maddox and her team were able to give them a strong voice within the community. This vital knowledge is now in the hands of the women, and it is up to them to educate and empower others – just as they have been. This greatly improves their status within the society and gives them a valuable skill that they can now use as a means to gain independence and support their children and families. The value of what Alicia Procello Maddox has brought to the Avery Dennison Foundation and essentially the world, is immeasurable. And her example is one that many others in the corporate world have already begun to follow. And with these powerful men and women, helping to bring about the necessary change to the world, our future appears bigger and brighter everyday.