TIAA ranked No. 9 on The Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list in 2020.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, each week this March TIAA hosted numerous events to recognize, uplift and empower women. The TIAA and Nuveen women’s business resource group (BRG) Achieve invited speakers and led programs that focused on career and professional growth and magnifying one’s voice.
On March 8, TIAA also celebrated International Women’s Day with a virtual conversation open to all employees on how to navigate the emotional and professional challenges involved in juggling careers and family. Joann Lublin, author of the recently released book “Power Moms,” led the conversation with Marty Willis, Chief Marketing Officer at TIAA & Nuveen. Together, Willis and Lublin shared their experiences with motherhood and careers, stressing the power of mentorship and the importance of finding balance while working and caring for their families.
The Achieve BRG hosted intersectional events that amplified women’s voices and their career choices. On March 4, the BRG partnered with TIAA’s Women of IT group for an interactive digital-focused discussion led by Julia Sears, Head of UX and Institutional Digital Tech, who interviewed Alix Peabody, Founder and CEO of Bev, a beverage company. Sears and Peabody held a candid conversation with employees about branding, being a female entrepreneur and everything in between.
On March 23, TIAA welcomed guest speaker Quinn Conyers, a public speaking coach, to do deep dive into how to make one’s voice heard. Conyers shared tips on how to ensure others are listening to women’s voices and knowing the value of our voices and ideas. This event was in line with TIAA’s “Ignite Your Journey” and “Be The Change” speaker series, led by its Inclusion and Diversity team to encourage open dialogue and equality in the workplace.
Beyond careers, the Achieve BRG also addressed wellness and safety, and how to help women whose voices are silenced by violence. The Achieve BRG collaborated with other BRGs to offer a training webinar designed to help employees understand domestic violence, recognize it when it happens, and respond appropriately when it occurs. The webinar was led by Karen Parker, President and CEO of Safe Alliance, a Charlotte, NC agency serving domestic violence survivors.
The Achieve BRG hosted additional events to discuss COVID-19’s impact on the female workforce and the disproportionate job losses for women and women of color, as well as the importance of sponsorship in supporting women and people of color. According to the recent “Women in the Workplace” study by McKinsey & Company, the three groups that face the biggest challenges are mothers of young children, senior women and Black women. In addition, 1 in 4 women are considering leaving the workforce or downshifting their careers as a result of the pandemic, the report reveals.
Throughout March, the Achieve BRG celebrated women and their accomplishments, strength, and unwavering resilience. The group will continue to pay it forward and host a virtual donation drive to provide critical items for professional women in partnership with the nonprofit Dress for Success.
The United States began celebrating women’s history and journeys in 1980, when former President Jimmy Carter declared the week of March 8 as “Women’s History Week.” In March 1987, the celebration was extended to a month and declared “Women’s History Month.” The United Kingdom and Australia also celebrate Women’s History Month in March, to correspond with International Women’s Day on March 8.
