March is Women’s History Month, a time dedicated to celebrating and spreading awareness to women’s influence and contributions throughout history. At BerganKDV, we honored the month through various activities and by lifting up the voices and experiences of our female colleagues. Here’s a glimpse into the ways we celebrated Women’s History Month this March:
Our Executive Director of DEI, Sailu Timbo, kicked off the month by commemorating International Women’s Day on March 8 with a blog post focused on the changing narrative of women in leadership. In his blog, he writes about the importance of paving the way for women leaders and how months like March provide an opportunity for employers to reflect on their inclusivity efforts, acknowledge their progress and identify areas of improvement.
On International Women’s Day, BerganKDV encouraged team members to share stories about the women who inspire them to illustrate the personal impact women have in everyone’s lives. Between mothers, grandmothers, family friends and other loved ones, the responses varied and allowed team members to better learn about one another on a deeper level.
Throughout March, BerganKDV placed a spotlight on various women team members in the firm with Q&A-style social posts that highlight the great contributions our women colleagues make at BerganKDV and the importance of lifting up women’s voices. If you missed the social posts on our LinkedIn and Facebook channels, here’s a roundup of some of the insightful responses:
Q: Tell us about a woman you look up to and why.
Angela Thomas, Senior Wealth Advisor: “Any working woman who has kids and is advancing her career – the effort and resourcefulness that this takes is worthy of great respect and admiration!”
Crystal Ford, Shareholder and East Region Leader: “Condoleezza Rice. Wow! What an elegant speaker, professional, and role model. She exudes confidence and professionalism. She always brings her best self to any occasion, and you never see her sweat under pressure. Her even-keeled leadership is beyond impressive. I look up to her greatly for all she has achieved and likely still will achieve.”
Q: What advice would you give to women in your field of work?
Joanna Sorber, Executive Administrative Assistant for Construction Advisory Team: “As an Executive Administrative Assistant, we play a critical role in supporting the team’s success. My advice to other women in this role is to build strong relationships with your team. Really get to know each person you work with, their communication preferences and their goals. Prioritize your work effectively, take note of deadlines and ensure you complete tasks on time. Also, as executive assistants, we need to adapt to changing priorities or unexpected situations. Be flexible and willing to adjust your schedule or responsibilities as needed.”
Svetlana Lyapchenkova, Quality Assurance Analyst: “In any profession, wherever you work, it is important to love it. Just love and enjoy what you do every day, then everything will turn out even better than you expect.”
Q: How do women improve the field of business professional services?
Nancy Schulzetenberg, Audit Partner: “I believe that as women we are natural leaders and have a natural ability to empathize with other people; we also have great intuition. We are good at working collaboratively to bring resolution. That being said, I think diversity in a business brings the best results.”
Marie Primus, Shareholder and Nonprofit Industry Group Leader: “Business professional services is about understanding clients. Women help bring a diversity of thoughts and ideas to the table. Women have different life and work experiences resulting in different perspectives. These differences lead to different opinions and strategies and more effective solutions for clients.”
Q: What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
Whitney Fuller, Wealth Management Tax Senior: “I think it’s important to have a month dedicated to women’s history, as we’ve come a long way. However, celebrating women, taking women seriously in the workforce, providing opportunities, etc. is an everyday call to action. I think this month can serve as a reminder to women that they are capable and should keep working for their dreams. The seat at the table is there and you need to believe that you belong.”
Monica Scott, Project Consultant: “Women’s History Month/International Women’s Day to me is about honoring those who went before me and were brave enough to stand up for change and equality. Every life is important, but it’s especially important to recognize those who sacrificed or came through hardships so that others did not have to endure the same.”
What amazing responses from a great group! A huge thank you to the women that shared their insights and thoughts with us throughout the month, and to everyone at the firm for their engagement in our activities. If you want to learn more about BerganKDV’s culture and be part of our journey of reimagining professional services, check out our Careers page and explore open positions here.
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