INCLUSION equity INCLUSION

“The learning that I’ve had as a student, as an international student, as an immigrant, as a queer person, informs my role on the Maxwell Advisory Board,” says Estefan, who earned a master of arts in international relations at Maxwell and a master of science in public relations at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Estefan now works as investment director for Luminate, a philanthropic organization that provides funding and other support to organizations that strive to bring social justice and uplift marginalized people. “The career that I have been able to have is very much connected to how can I use my privilege to create opportunities for others,” he says.

It is similar for Gordon, who earned a master’s in public administration at Maxwell.

The first Black woman to lead Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, she realizes the importance of her role, especially when it comes to advocacy. “I’m always asking, ‘What action can I take? What leadership can I provide that will bring about meaningful change in the short term and the long term?’” she says.

Daly likewise draws from her personal experience to inform her work as president of the Federal Reserve of San Francisco and in serving Maxwell, where she earned a doctorate in economics. Raised in a one-income family near St. Louis, she dropped out of high school at 15 and might not have found her way back to education had it not been for the guidance of a mentor.

Her background may lend to her ease in talking with people from all walks of life, something she does as often as possible to ensure she has a more complete picture of the public she is representing. “Ultimately, I’m running an organization that should look like those we serve,” she says.

Watershed Moment

Though he’d focused on inclusion and diversity at State Street, the death of George Floyd was a turning point for O’Hanley. He took stock of the company’s progress, acknowledging that it had potential to go further. He listened and gathered insight from colleagues near and far. “Then I gathered my senior leadership team and drafted our ’10 Actions to Address Racism and Inequality at State Street,’” he says.

The list is a set of priority actions—not an exhaustive list of deep systemic changes, explains O’Hanley.

He also launched State Street’s global Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Council to oversee the execution, transparency and accountability for all firm-wide efforts. Diversity goals were set to help State Street achieve representation of female and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) at the highest levels. Training seeks to foster awareness of unconscious bias and racism.

“I view these sets of actions as simply a starting place,” says O’Hanley. “This is a journey that requires a great deal of introspection, humility and resiliency. Progress does not equal completion. We have much more work to do to ensure that equality and justice are more than just concepts.”

At the Fed, Daly has led a “framework for change” that addresses such things as supplier diversity, hiring, community engagement and the composition of the board of directors.

“In practice when we work on any topic, whether it’s monetary policy or leadership or community engagement, we are sourcing from people of all different walks of life,” she says. “You can’t just go to your economic research department to learn about how to improve the economy. …I have to ask all of the voices here because they all have a different lens.”

For Gordon, recent measures at Atlanta Habitat for Humanity have included a cultural audit and training for employees. One workshop was revealing: The facilitator asked employees to numerically rank their knowledge about diversity, equity and inclusion. Their scores were higher than those of the trainers. “When it comes to DEI, there’s so much we don’t know—we’re just scratching the surface,” Gordon says.

She and fellow board members agree: The work will never be completed.

“It’s the kind of thing where you can never sit and say, ‘Mission accomplished,’” says Estefan. “DEI is not only something that we should do, it’s something that we need to do to yield the outcomes we wish to see in the world. There’s a distinction between those who build for others and those who build with others.”

With the latter, he says, “You are always better positioned to achieve greater outcomes.”