Joelle Murchison, second vice president, diversity, at Travelers, had at one point aspired to become U.S. secretary of education. A public-policy and educational-studies major at Brown University, Murchison wrote her thesis on the impact desegregation had on the education system.
“How I ended up in the diversity space [is] not that much of a departure,” says the senior diversity executive. “My entire career has been focused on being a voice and advocating for individuals who may not have a voice themselves.”
In 1996, Murchison got her start at Wesleyan University as director of multicultural programs. “At that time, the campus did not have an affirmative-action program so I had the opportunity to actually craft the diversity strategy,” she says. Murchison then moved to INROADS, helping to develop and place talented students from underrepresented groups in jobs, where she built a tremendous network of recruiting colleagues. Since starting at Travelers nearly three years ago, Murchison continues to draw on those relationships for best practices and “to build a pipeline of diverse talent.”
