February 3, 2021

As only the third black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company, Thasunda Duckett, president, and CEO of TIAA, is in the position to help millions of people prepare to live full lives in retirement. But leading up to her historic role, she was a student at the University of Houston, where she met INROADS and began to shape her belief that she could reach incredible professional and personal heights.

“INROADS was my disrupter. Prior to INROADS, I just knew that I was going to college. College was the goal in our house. With INROADS, I gained access to corporate America… and access to other Black and Brown kids who looked like me and who were dreaming like me,” said Thasunda.

Thasunda used her experience with INROADS and her internship at Fannie Mae to define what she believed was possible. With INROADS, Thasunda began to define her future as being a CEO of consequence in the financial services industry. And from there, she forged a historic career path. As the CEO of Consumer Banking for JPMorgan Chase, Thasunda used her platform to create programs to empower people of color, including the Advancing Black Pathways initiative and the establishment of INROADS’ Financial Services Institute.

As TIAA’s president and CEO, Thasunda continues to find new ways to lift others up. She represents not only a vision of success, but also a vision of what’s possible.