Each year, during the month of March, we celebrate and honor the contributions that women have made to American history. Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California in 1978. Organizers originally celebrated Women’s History Week during the week of March 8th to correspond with International Women’s Day. As the movement spread across the country, other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations. In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the week of March 8th as National Women’s History Week, which has been celebrated as Women’s History Month since 1987.
On March 31st, VERTEX’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Team hosted an interactive discussion with Shawna Ferguson, Managing Director of Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at Wellington Management. Shawna guides the firm’s global diversity and inclusion strategy as a fully integrated part of the business practices, programs, and processes. She was kind enough to share her knowledge, experience, and perspective with us while addressing questions and concerns from our employees. We invite you to listen to the discussion below.
About the Speaker
Shawna Ferguson serves as the Managing Director of Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at Wellington Management, one of the world’s largest privately-held asset management firms. Shawna guides the firm’s global diversity and inclusion strategy as a fully integrated part of the business practices, programs, and processes. She collaborates with business leaders, the Diversity Committee, and Human Resources to develop customized business-led plans that strengthen their ability to attract, develop, and retain exceptional talent. Shawna is responsible for building the firm’s inclusion capabilities, visibility, and impact through a variety of mechanisms, such as adapting best practices, directing business networks governance and programming, implementing diversity education or development offerings, and overseeing the firm’s partnerships with external diversity associations. She also consults with clients and vendors globally on diversity and inclusion issues. She serves on the DEI Committee and works across the firm in service to their clients, business goals, and talent needs.
About the Moderator
Greg Almieda is the Founder of Global View Communications (GVC), a company he started in 2001 to focus on implementing strategies across leadership engagement, supplier diversity, workforce development, and communications to provide data-driven solutions with proven results for diversification and inclusivity.
VERTEX retained GVC in October 2020 to assess our operations/information and provide a strategic plan to improve our culture and align the initiative with VERTEX’s business objectives.
For more information about this critical topic and how to get involved, please reach out to Catherine Pierce.