A Black woman who leads a Fortune 500 Company, Thasunda Brown Duckett, will be the keynote speaker for Morgan State University’s 148th Spring Commencement Ceremony in May.
The university announced Duckett, who is the president and CEO of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA) of America-College Retirement Equities Fund, during spring wellness week. According to officials, they selected her because of her pedigree and accomplishments in financial services.
In a university news release, Duckett said she felt honored to share and celebrate the occasion with Morgan’s graduating class.
“My hope is to inspire the next generation of leaders by showing that no dream is out of reach,” said Duckett. “With hard work, resilience, and commitment, they can shape their futures and make a lasting impact on the world.”
Duckett is a highly-respected and notable pioneer in financial services and as the head of TIAA, Duckett and her team work to provide secure retirement and investment solutions for their clients.
In May 2021, TIAA first made it to the Fortune 500 list, which made Duckett the third Black women to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Aside from her accomplishments at TIAA, she was also the CEO of Consumer Bank and Auto Finance during her 17-year career at JP Morgan Chase.
Today, Duckett serves on several boards including Nike Inc., Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Sesame Workshop, Business Council Executive Committee, Committee for Economic Development, and was on former President Joe Biden’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Additionally, several media outlets have recognized Duckett for her accomplishments: American Banker named her one of the most influential women in finance in its September 2024 article; Barron’s recognized her in a March 2024 article; Forbes wrote about her as a woman who was breaking barriers in its March 2024 article, Fortune ranked her sixteenth in its list of “Most Powerful Women”; Duckett was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2024; TIME magazine named her as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2024; and CNBC named her as one of 2024’s changemakers.
Duckett’s address will share her personal experiences as a way to inspire more than 1,000 graduating students during Morgan’s 148th Spring Commencement, which will begin 10:00 a.m. May 17 at Hughes Memorial Stadium.
