The award is presented each year to Dow employees across the United States who demonstrate a significant commitment to encouraging and promoting racial harmony and unity within their workplace and community. The program honors individuals who have made valuable contributions toward keeping Dr. King's "Dream" alive through specific efforts to improve racial relationships and the quality of life in our community.

Champagne-Barnes has been a Dow employee at the St. Charles Operations facility for more than 23 years. During this time, she has led numerous efforts to bring various social and educational issues to the forefront in a manner that crosses ethnic, religious and racial boundaries. She believes that one of the most important ways of achieving Dr. King's principles of equality and racial unity is through education.

Champagne-Barnes was selected as a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. award winner based upon a number of accomplishments including:

• Long-time volunteer in local schools such as helping with fundraising events for school improvements
• Helped organized a 501C(3) non-profit organization to perform community service activities
• Vice-President of the Board of Directors for the New City Community Development Corporation (CDC)
• Board of Directors for the Taft Carbide Federal Credit Union serving as Secretary and sits on the Personnel Committee
• Chaired Dow's Diversity Network Rollout committee and served as Co-Implementation Leader for Dow's Women's Innovative Network for 2 years at St. Charles Operations.
• Member of the Dow African-American Network Leadership Team and serves as Co-Chair of the Community Service Committee at St. Charles Operations.

Champagne-Barnes will be a special guest at Dow's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration held at its corporate headquarters in Midland, Michigan on January 16.

Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $40 billion, Dow serves customers in 175 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress: food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its 43,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.

St. Charles Operations is owned by Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. "Dow", as used throughout this web site, often refers generically to The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries.