Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America

In February 2021, Thasunda Brown Duckett helped made history when she accepted the CEO role at Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America, also known as TIAA, by being the second Black woman to lead a Fortune 500 firm! This, in tandem to her other accomplishments, certainly helped other Black youth envision their own potential in what is otherwise known as a ruthless industry.

But before she managed this great success, Duckett served as CEO of Chase Consumer Banking since 2016.

During her career, she was (and still is!) known as a champion of diversity. Not only did she serve as a committee leader for Chase’s Women on the Move initiative which helped empower and educate women about careers in finance, but she also served as an executive sponsor of JPMorgan Chase’s Advancing Black Pathways program, though which she helped Black Americans reach their dreams by closing gaps in education, wealth and career opportunities.