On March 8, International Women’s Day, TIAA’s (No. 27 on the Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies list) women employee resource group (ERG) Advance and IT Women’s Council held a companywide event celebrating the campaign and cause, and it included guest speakers, pledges for progress, and a community service event in select locations.
Celebrated for over 100 years, International Women’s Day recognizes the achievements of women and also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Employees were invited to be a part of the #PressforProgress campaign and take action that will drive change and acknowledgement for women.
Our speakers for TIAA’s International Women’s Day event are female leaders at TIAA and its affiliates Nuveen and TIAA Bank (formerly EverBank). They shared their stories on who made the most impact in their life, the lessons they learned from that person, and how they use this knowledge and lessons today in their life and career. The individuals they described made a positive impact on their life and empowered them to reach their goals and achieve the success they have today.
Some of the key takeaways from the speakers:
- Women should be encouraged to “ask the right questions”, and if they know the right answer raise their hand and answer it. Don’t be afraid to speak up.
- “Learn your people”; it will help you make decisions.
- “Take the wheel, be in control”, and cross the finish line for each victory, even during the bumps in the road to get to your destination.
The speakers were:
- Pam Click – MD, Sr Exec App Development Management at TIAA
- Nicolette Dixon Senior Relationship Manager, Institutional Retirement at TIAA
- Lori Day – Senior Vice President, Chief Customer Operations Officer at TIAA Bank
- Holly Miller SMD, Head of Nuveen Global Investment Operations
At the event, employees were encouraged to make pledges on:
- Challenging Stereotypes and Bias
- Telling your story to inspire others
- Celebrate women’s achievements
- Being a champion for Diversity & Inclusion
Employees from all backgrounds and genders took photos with their pledges in their hands, committing to pressing pass the boundaries and taking action on much needed change and improvements for women.
To further celebrate this day, the Advance ERG held community service projects in its Charlotte office for employees to pack STEM kits for distribution to local Charlotte schools in partnership with The United Way; as well as in Iselin, NJ, where employee volunteers made school supplies packs for a local school with students in economic hardships.
TIAA’s Advance ERG and Nuveen’s LEAD ERG plan to continue the March celebration of Women’s History Month with three more empowering speaker events for women and employees: Molly Barker, founder of Girls on the Run International; Kristi Jones, Chief of Staff to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper; and Jen Mann, New York Times best-selling author.
