The West Des Moines Chamber’s inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workplace Excellence Awards were held Wednesday at the Ron Pearson Center. Twelve awards were given out to organizations and individuals. The award recipients were selected from a pool of 38 applicants by a panel of judges who come from all walks of life. Additionally, Ruffin Tchakounte, the Student Leader of the Year, received a $1,550 scholarship for his education. Tchakounte was a 2021 Business Record Forty Under 40. Oakridge Neighborhood Services, the nonprofit winner, gets to select a minority leader to go through the West Des Moines Leadership Academy on a full-ride tuition scholarship, according to a news release. “Inclusion is an important part of creating a growing corporate culture at American Equity,” said DEI Awards Chair Anant Bhalla, American Equity President and CEO. “It allows us to have different points of view in the way we work and the way we make decisions; allowing people to speak up and to inspire innovation from all parts of the company.” The chamber donated a portion of sponsorship proceeds to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa.