GlobeNewswire Inc | Jan 29, 2021 07:17AM EST

January 29, 2021

Detroit, Jan. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DETROIT, Jan. 29, 2021 Today, DTE announced that it will accelerate its commitment to support and empower people with disabilities in the workforce by joining The Valuable 500, a coalition of the world's largest companies dedicated to promoting disability inclusion through business leadership and opportunity.

"At DTE, we understand that all people thrive and succeed when they feel included, welcome and safe, saidJerry Norcia,president and CEO, DTE Energy. We're proud and excited to join with others to form The Valuable 500 as we continue to drive inclusion and empowerpeople living with disabilities with support and opportunities in our company and our communities."

As part of its pledge to The Valuable 500, DTE will expand its partnership with Project Search, a program dedicated to helping youth and young adults with disabilities gain meaningful skills and employment as they transition out of public schools, across Michigan. The company will strengthen its support of its Abilities in Motion (AIM) employee resource group, be a voice and champion for people with disabilities and continue to explore and challenge systemic barriers to employment. The DTE Energy Foundation will continue to seek opportunities to provide financial support to the Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) and other disability employment related non-profit organizations.

We know that people with disabilities face bias, unique barriers to social and economic opportunities, and are disproportionately unemployed, said David Meador, vice chairman and chief administrative officer at DTE. "To build an inclusive and diverse workforce one of DTEs top priorities we have to ensure the fair and equal treatment of all people. By joining The Valuable 500, well accelerate our work to recruit, employ and empower people with disabilities and encourage more Michigan businesses to do the same.

More than 1.85 billion people across the world face some form of disability, while only 4% of companies are focused on making measurable efforts to include people with disabilities in their workplace, according to the Global Economics Disability Report. Further, more than 80% of disabilities are acquired between the ages of 18 and 64 the workforce age.

DTEs decision to be a leader in Michigan and join The Valuable 500 is a significant step toward creating real change and more meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities in our state, said Colleen Allen, CEO of AAoA. With so many people in the disability community not participating in the workforce, we are hopeful that more Michigan companies will come forward and sign the pledge.

Learn more about DTEs employment opportunities and how we are working to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace.

About DTE EnergyDTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) is aDetroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.2 million customers inSoutheast Michiganand a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers inMichigan. The DTE portfolio includes energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects; renewable natural gas; natural gas pipelines, gathering and storage; and energy marketing and trading. As an environmental leader, DTEutility operations will reduce carbon dioxide and methane emissions by more than 80 percent by 2040 to producecleaner energywhile keeping it safe, reliable and affordable. DTE Electric and Gas aspire to achieve net zero carbon by 2050. DTE is committed toserving with its energythrough volunteerism, education and employment initiatives,philanthropyand economic progress. Information about DTE is available atdteenergy.com,empoweringmichigan.com,twitter.com/dte_energyandfacebook.com.

Sallie JusticeDTE Energy313.235.5555