1980s-Style Sexism Still a Drag on Women in Big Law

I don’t know whether to be buoyed or depressed by the latest findings about female lawyers in Big Law. Let’s start with the cheery news: Contrary to popular belief, women are remarkably bullish about their Big Law experience, according to a recently released report by legal intelligence firm Leopard Solutions. Almost… Continue reading »

The Waiting Was The Hardest Part: A Founding Story

Though we undoubtedly crossed paths a few times beforehand, Mike Gerbush ’09 and I didn’t formally meet until just before the pandemic. We had both attended Williams College, but one of us is six years older (you’d never know by looking at me) so we didn’t overlap. One of us also… Continue reading »

A Healthy Recharge for 2023

The New Year is the perfect time to reset priorities and refocus on implementing healthier habits. I believe this accessible and actionable list will be beneficial to fuel a healthy and prosperous 2023! 1) Master the Morning Routine – A positive and energizing morning routine sets the stage for a… Continue reading »

Protecting Reputation in a Complex ESG Landscape

Republicans recently took control of the House of Representatives in the 118th Congress, and one of the items at the top of their priority list is a slew of inquiries into environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Broadly, ESG commitments have become popular with many investors and asset managers,… Continue reading »

What’s In a Name? Being Seen.

As a student, I learned early on that my name was different. A kind of difference that was not bad, but too complicated for someone to engage with during formal introductions, let alone daily, transactional encounters. That lesson is one that I learned… Continue reading »

The Power of Three

A year ago, my family crawled into a hot air balloon gondola in the predawn darkness of Kenya’s Masai Mara. We slid into the gondola, which was resting sideways, strapped in, and waited for liftoff while lying on the ground. The whole start to the experience was rather clunky and nothing… Continue reading »

How Williams Shaped My Advocacy Work

I decided to go to Williams so that I could play golf. After several seasons on the women’s golf team, I got the political bug. I ditched my golf clubs and instead volunteered on campaigns; founded a mental health advocacy group on campus; and pursued various political and advocacy internships… Continue reading »

A Lack of Data Doesn’t Mean a Population Doesn’t Exist

I’m going to start with the conclusion: Non-binary and gender-diverse people should be accounted for in your organization’s data. By working with your internal experts – employee resource groups, DE&I team, Talent Attraction and Legal – or calling in external experts, you can develop optional demographic questions that satisfy federal… Continue reading »

Your Next Employees Are Your New Marketing Audience

Recruiting: It’s the new marketing. French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote, “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” The more things change, the more things stay the same. That concept can be applied to business too. Since the dawn of time, business has been based on making money by… Continue reading »

Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day

As a Native American, I am proud to live and serve in a city that recognizes the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Auburn is one of more than 130 cities and states across the United States to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day. We are fortunate to share land… Continue reading »

The Uncomfortable Look

He was a young man in police custody, admitted to the ICU with diabetic ketoacidosis. As I reviewed the medical record, I was struck by the fact that he had been in college about a year ago. I walked into his room and met a Black man in his 20s,… Continue reading »

We Must End Either-Or Thinking About Skills

Words are powerful things. When deployed clearly and effectively, they can propel new ideas forward and motivate social change. Unfortunately, they also can bring more confusion than clarity and lead reformers down the wrong paths. We run that risk with the use of the word “skills” in the current debate… Continue reading »

Lessons Learned from 2020

In a few days, most of us will sigh with relief that 2020 has passed. In early spring, we were introduced to COVID-19, changing the ways we work, play, learn, shop, worship, and celebrate holidays and milestone events. Many are suffering from the economic impact, not to mention the… Continue reading »

Schooled: What Community College Taught Me About My Education

Prior to joining their faculty last year as an adjunct, I’d had only glancing contact with Berkshire Community College (south of Williamstown, in Pittsfield), and while each interaction had been positive, my overall attitude towards a community college education remained – I confess – mildly dismissive. My own experience of… Continue reading »

Dreams Deferred, But Worth the Wait

Many people face their future with the presumption that there is only one life. They know it has to be lived with imagination and considerable effort. As some of my fellow Alumni Career Commentary authors have noted, life can often take unexpected turns in unusual directions. But I discovered, mostly… Continue reading »

Seven Takeaways from the Pandemic for Educators

I have been speaking to students, parents, faculty, staff and administrators pretty much nonstop these days. Sometimes it is in Zoom webinars for teachers, teens or parents on how to stay grounded in all of the uncertainty, and sometimes it is in one-on-one coaching calls with educational leaders who are… Continue reading »

Digital Addiction

As the former CEO of Mission Bit, I was a passionate advocate of bringing coding education to every public school student across California. We involved community leaders, idealistic college students, seasoned educators and some of the largest education funders in the Bay Area to support our cause. To… Continue reading »

A Physician’s Most Powerful Tool

During my third year in medical school, I was not looking forward to my infectious disease rotation in the HIV clinic. I was worried I would only see sick, suffering patients with a complicated and chronic disease who couldn’t be helped. And I’d decided to become a doctor because I… Continue reading »

The Unused Voice

I find myself speaking and writing publicly about the role that forward-looking individuals and families play in the life and prosperity of cities across North America. Many of these individuals are remarkable in the modesty with which they live. They are influential and affluent far beyond their appearance and demeanor,… Continue reading »

The Quiet Crisis of Unexpected Unemployment

In 1973, John R. Coleman — then president of Haverford College and a respected labor economist — took a sabbatical. Over the course of those few months, Coleman dedicated his time to working menial, blue-collar jobs on an incognito basis. He made sandwiches, worked farm fields and dug ditches. It was part intellectual inquiry… Continue reading »

On Becoming Good Ancestors

For those of us in the baby boomer generation, our legacy is not turning out the way we had planned. On our watch, the gap between rich and poor has turned into a chasm, our public schools have become re-segregated and our confidence in institutions is at an all-time low. Continue reading »

The Unsung Hero: Your Chief Operating Officer

Our business and popular culture celebrates entrepreneurs who launch new businesses for their vision and daring – and rightly so. Innovation has been a cornerstone of this country since its founding. However, as someone who partners with CEOs of middle market and emerging growth companies to recruit top talent to… Continue reading »

The Found Object Career, or Inventing Point B

When I was graduating from Williams, I had very little idea of what a job was. That sounds naïve but it was true. My parents were academics so, in some ways, I had been in a college setting my whole life. At Williams, I studied political science and studio art. Continue reading »