March 27, 2018 – Donato Tramuto has been named Chairman of the Leadership Council of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. Tramuto currently serves as CEO of Tivity Health, a leading provider of health and wellness programs. He is a global healthcare activist and a member of the Board of Directors of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.

The Leadership Council is comprised of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope laureates, which includes U.S. presidents, top international activists, and leaders in business, public policy, the arts and academia who share a common dedication to human rights advocacy. Tramuto received the award in 2014 for his nearly 30 years of work in providing healthcare access to the most remote areas in the U.S. and in emerging countries through Health eVillages, a global non-profit he founded in 2011 in partnership with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.

“We are thrilled to have Donato as Chairman of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Leadership Council,” said Kerry Kennedy, President of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. “Donato brings a clear vision for our future and a commitment to the ideals my father stood for in life, and which we carry on in our global human rights advocacy.”

In his capacity as Chairman, Tramuto will mobilize the CEOs of Fortune 100 companies to spearhead the development and implementation of a national movement on workplace dignity. The workplace dignity initiative is intended to guide U.S. companies on strategies and actions to ensure a fair and respectful work environment for all employees by 2020.

“The time is now to leverage the success of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights programs already deployed in schools around the nation. The programs address bullying in schools and enable students to ‘Speak Truth to Power,’ The workplace dignity program will be aimed at those in the workplace to be empowered, to speak their own truth to power,” Tramuto said. “Our focus will be on the 60 million American employees who report being bullied in the workplace. The time is now for greater focus on this issue, and there is no better organization to address it than Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights that works steadfastly to realize Senator Kennedy’s vision for a more just and peaceful world by advancing human rights in society and in the workplace.”

In a presentation made earlier this month to the members of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Board of Directors, Tramuto outlined his plan to mobilize a working group tasked with raising $2 million by the end of 2018 to increase awareness and develop a curriculum that can be implemented in workplaces across the U.S. In recognition of the 50th anniversary of Senator Kennedy’s death, the initiative will be launched at the 2018 Ripple of Hope Gala in December.

In his report to the Council this month, Tramuto reported the following statistics:

• 1 in every 3 females ages 18-35 has reported that they were sexually harassed on the job
• 80% report that they have experienced at least some form of verbal harassment
• 2/3 of the harassers are male; 2/3 of their targets are women
• 60% of the time the bullies are the bosses
• 71% of the cases go unreported

“This is an emerging crisis in our country, exemplified by the #MeToo movement and by a general decline in civility in society and in our workplaces. It now demands a response that is worthy of the very values exemplified by Senator Kennedy,” Tramuto said, adding that throughout his nearly 40 years in business and as CEO for nearly half those years, he has both observed and experienced disrespectful, hurtful comments from within the workplace that unfortunately leads to an unhealthy and unproductive environment.

“I can no longer sit back and tolerate disrespect for any employee in the workplace,” Tramuto noted. “Wise business leaders understand that a strong culture of employee acceptance is essential to a productive, fruitful and resilient business, and workplace bullying that erodes human dignity diminishes employee engagement and a flourishing business. Promoting human dignity in the workplace is consistent with the mission of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and demands our attention in today’s workplace more than ever.

“As Chairman of this Council, with members who represent a wealth of prestigious names in business, politics, and entertainment, I am compelled to leverage the intellectual and corporate assets of my fellow Council members to do all that we can to put an end to inexcusable abuse in the workplace. It’s where tens of millions of us spend most of our time in a day, where our cultural norms and values are developed and nurtured, or destroyed on a daily basis. In addition to our schools, our workplaces are exceptional places to educate our young leaders and inspire our current leaders to actively and passionately engage in a national dialogue to stop workplace bullying and instead propagate an environment where human dignity and labor are respected, valued and rewarded. That is the purpose of this critical initiative and that is what will drive us to succeed in this mission.”