Mentors showing the way

BY LAUREN DEFAZIO

Marianne

Monte Shawmut Design and Construction Chief people and administration officer

As chief people and administration officer, Marianne Monte has led Shawmut Design and Construction in promoting women and combating unconscious bias through the innovative talent development technology that enabled the firm to reach 100% pay equity.

Through the activation of Shawmut’s Diversity Leadership Council, Monte’s contributions to creating a diverse, equitable environment with a culture of belonging and inclusivity have helped generate the firm’s 33% female workforce in an industry that’s only 10% women. The levers her team has established put female representation on a trajectory to continue increasing.

Monte’s first mentor shaped her views on professional growth and her belief that “every good mentor had a mentor.”

With an understanding that using mentorship, sponsorship and development skills is as crucial to elevating mentees as hearing their perspectives and learning from each other, Monte has identified three key components to mentoring: two-way listening, opportunity identification and true advocacy. This formula is embedded in the sponsorship relationships program that Monte launched at Shawmut, which pairs high-potential, underrepresented employees with executive sponsors.

Monte’s work has been integral to Shawmut’s being named a Best Workplace for Women by Fortune magazine and one of America’s Best Employers by Forbes

Lorraine Hariton Catalyst President, CEO

Lorraine Hariton puts her advocacy skills to work at Catalyst, a global nonprofit with a female-majority staff that helps build workplaces that work for women.

Since her earliest days, Hariton has been an outspoken advocate for women individually and as a group, fighting tirelessly for their recognition, promotion and voice. Now, as Catalyst’s CEO and president, she is in charge of a robust research organization that issues metrics that are leveraged to further the achievements and visibility of women around the world.

When Hariton was at the State Department, under then-Secretary of State Hillar y Clinton, she started a global entrepreneurship program that brought female and male entrepreneurs to many countries to mentor and connect with other up-and-comers. Unafraid to go against the grain, Hariton strayed from the State Department’s norm by ensuring that women made up at least half of the cohort.

“As a woman who she arranged to join the delegations, I can tell you it was one of the best experiences of my life. It was innovative and supportive and powerful,” said Davia Temin, a longtime colleague. Mentoring, she added, is in Hariton’s DNA.

With her determination and knowledge of mentoring methods, Hariton has emboldened many women to excel in their careers.

Helen Arteaga Landaverde NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO

Helen Arteaga Landaverde is the first female CEO and the first Latina to lead NYC Health + Hospitals/ Elmhurst, one of the city’s largest hospitals.

In addition, Arteaga Landaverde is a mentor at the International High School at La Guardia Community College, a professor of public health at New York University and a trailblazer who is opening doors for the next generation of female leaders.

Thanks to her dedication, female representation in the C-suite has increased by 25% at the Elmhur st hospital in the past two years. Arteaga Landaverde has facilitated numerous female staff, nurse and doctor promotions.

As a mentor, Arteaga Landaverde empowers women through one-on-one sessions and shadowing opportunities. Through her involvement with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Latina Mentoring Initiative, Arteaga Landaverde helps young Latinas reach their full potential.

Motivated by challenges her own family experienced, Arteaga Landaverde has moved mountains for economically disadvantaged families by increasing their access to vital health care.

With the support of other community leaders, she established the Plaza del Sol Family Health Center in Corona, Queens, which was later dedicated in memory of her father. Last year the facility cared for more than 29,000 patients regardless of their ability to pay.