Innholdsfortegnelse for October/November 2018 i Working Mother

Barely one month of daycare had passed before my baby, Zachary, developed a fever that would keep him out of the center. As these things always do, his sickness came at a time when it was critical for me to work. So, my retired parents generously rescheduled some badly needed home renovations to schlep out to my house, more than an hour away in rush-hour traffic. I was relieved that his illness didn’t correspond with our tricky-to-schedule cover shoot and interview with Alicia Silverstone. Except it did. Because he spiked a fever again the following week. It was baby’s first ear infection. My mom couldn’t delay the contractors a second time, and my husband had a client meeting. My deputy editor, Audrey, was going to Florida and couldn’t do the…

Alicia Silverstone wants to save the world, or at least do her part to try. When our server at the cozy-chic Manhattan hotel where we meet brings over her green juice, Alicia, pointedly, but without a shred of meanness in her voice, says, “Hey, you guys have got to get rid of your straws,” a reference to the movement to reduce plastic waste in the ocean. Then, Alicia, dressed in comfy black-and-gray clothes a cool city mom might wear on a Whole Foods run, offers me a sip from her glass. It’s the first time any of the celebrities I’ve interviewed wanted to share what they’ve ordered with me, a testament to her generosity and perhaps her belief that everyone should consume only the best stuff for their bodies. The…

CHRISTY SOVEREIGN Senior Managing Director, Minneapolis, MN Mom to Matt, 17 When Christy had her son, the corporate world was very different. Bathrooms doubled as mothers’ rooms. Paternity leave didn’t exist. And there were fewer senior-level working mothers as role models. So, she began changing things. She replaced out-of-town projects with local client work. She started talking about her family more, encouraging others to do the same. She helped women navigate their transition to working parents. Now she leads a 1,600-person team and manages the company’s largest local clients. Accenture says: “She’s always there, ready to make working mothers feel more confident they can have a family and rise to the top.”…

TRICIA MCCUE Technical Supply Chain Program Manager, Folsom, CA Mom to Madison, 17, Nathan, 13, and Zachary, 11 Tricia is a mom of two children with disabilities: Nathan, who has cerebral palsy, and Zachary, who is on the autism spectrum. That’s why disability inclusion is important to her. She formed the Caregiver Support Program to help other parents, which led to her involvement in the disability employee-resource group, Diverse Abilities Network. She became its president in 2015 and now leads the annual Disability Fair. Intel says: “Tricia mentors other mothers and leverages the company’s work-life effectiveness programs so she can be there for her children while significantly contributing to Intel’s world-class supply chain.”…

ELLEN DURDEN Human Experience and Operational Improvement Manager, Pittsburgh, PA Mom to Olivia, 15, and Gavin, 10 Even though Ellen lost her husband unexpectedly earlier this year, her devotion to her children and teams never wavered. Within the past year, her Customer Care Center team responded to more than 850 process-improvement submissions. She also oversaw the Care Center’s move to a customer-satisfaction-feedback strategy, personally visiting each site to educate employees about the platform. PNC says: “She connects and empowers her teams by recognizing their strengths and aligning them with roles and responsibilities to help them and the business thrive.”…

#1 CHERYL L. YOUNG, Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Management Director, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, mom of Avery, 15, Alec, 13, and Aiden, 8, Los Gatos, CA What drew Cheryl to financial advising and medicine, her first love, is similar: behavioral psychology. “There’s so much to do around the emotional side of decisions,” Cheryl says. And that’s how she tackles the biggest issue her customers face—planning for the future. “I always tell the client: ‘Think about where you’d like to live when you’re 55, 65, 75 and 85.’” Another prompt Cheryl likes to give: “‘Name all the things you love.’ Women never say ‘myself,’” Cheryl says. So she encourages women to “not hold themselves back and know they can do anything they want.” #3 ELAINE MEYERS, Financial Advisor and Managing Director, J.P. Morgan Securities, mom…

All the Working Mother 100 Best Companies have exceptional benefits and support systems. The top 10, though, stand out for continually evolving their workplaces to meet parents’ needs and improving employees’ lives. Although Working Mother does not disclose ranks of the 100 Best Companies except to say which ones are in the top 10, this year we have decided to name the No. 1 company. The creation of an employee value proposition to attract and retain working parents has become increasingly competitive, even among organizations that excel at this. Being No. 1 is a remarkable achievement. Unilever, which is No. 1, has been on this list for only six years. Women are 44 percent of the workforce but 52 percent of managers at the consumer-products company. And Unilever makes mentoring…

KRYSTYNA M. BLAKESLEE Real Estate Finance Partner, Hartford, CT Mom to Elizabeth, 5, and Oliver, 1 A former Marine Corps sergeant in Iraq, Krystyna started at the law firm with a summer job in 2008 and was promoted to partner while pregnant with her second child in 2017. She always takes time to mentor and assist other employees, especially women and veterans. She chairs the firm’s Heroes employee-resource group for veterans and also helps with the Global Women’s Initiative, aimed at developing women attorneys. Dechert says: “Krystyna’s responsibilities require effective leadership and a persuasive manner—and the pragmatism to balance her roles as mother, partner, mentor, faculty, chairperson and blogger.”…

LOURDES GONZALEZ Senior Sales Executive New York City Mom of Alexander, 16, and Andrew, 13 On the job for 25 years, Lourdes has consistently been the top booker at the Sheraton New York Times Square. Yet she’s made sure she’s there to help Alex with student-government affairs and cheer for Andy, an all-star baseball player. She also goes out of her way to instill the importance of family to her sons—this summer, she took her boys to Cuba to meet extended family and learn about their heritage. Marriott says: “Lourdes demonstrates the same strong values and personal integrity in her professional life as she does with her family at home.”…

JESSICA MAZZA Managing Director, Internal Audit, Chicago, IL Mom to Rachel, 19, Haley, 15, and Pierre and Rosena, 9 After visiting an orphanage in Haiti as part of a church volunteer group in 2012, Jessica and her husband, Shawn, fell in love with two of the children, Pierre and Rosena. They set out to adopt them. But delays in the process were hard on the couple and their two older kids. Jessica had the fortitude to remain focused on her family and work throughout years of patiently waiting. This past March, they received news that they had successfully completed the adoption of both children. TIAA says: “Jessica has had an extraordinary career thus far, and is recognized across the organization as a confident, compassionate and deliberate developer of talent.”…

Each of this year’s Working Mother 100 Best Companies is invited to name a mom employee who is a role model at home and at work, exemplifying leadership, commitment, passion and caring for others. Read more about what makes them stand out at workingmother.com/wmoty2018. ABBOTT Anna Clausen Brand/Product Manager, Global Marketing, Clinical Chemistry Lake Forest, IL Tristan, 19, Talon, 17, and Shane, 12 ABBVIE Sarah Co Senior Scientist III, Chemistry North Chicago, IL Ethan, 8, and Eleanor, 2 ACCENTURE Christy Sovereign Senior Managing Director Minneapolis, MN Matt, 17 ADOBE Amanda Sanchez Brand Publishing Content Strategist Salt Lake City, UT Benjamin, 2 ADP Dianne Greene Division VP/General Manager, One ADP, Norfolk Norfolk, VA Chelsea ALLIANZ LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF NORTH AMERICA Chelsea Dischinger Learning Solutions Senior Specialist Minneapolis, MN Tate, 9,…

Congratulations to all of our Financial Advisors who made this year’s Working Mother Top Wealth Advisor Moms list. Not only have you demonstrated your dedication to your families and ambition as a working mother, but you’ve done so while consistently offering excellence and commitment to your clients. We are proud of all of your accomplishments. PRIVATE WEALTH MANAGEMENT Lisa Amster Los Angeles, CA Kay Grasman New York, NY Kimberley Hatchett New York, NY Kathleen Youngerman Chesterfield, MO Gillian Yu San Francisco, CA WEALTH MANAGEMENT Suzanne Akian New York, NY Kathleen Allison Rochester, MN Emily Bach Orinda, CA Anouchka Balog Laguna Niguel, CA Stacey Barrins Chicago, IL Sallie Behnke Dallas, TX Mara Bralove Bethesda, MD Melinda Brewer Oklahoma City, OK Becky Bridgmon Memphis, TN Noel Brown Honolulu, HI Claudine Callison-Siero Little…

FACEBOOK: Your uncle just commented on your Facebook post. We almost didn’t send you this push notification because you’re going to get all worked up again, and you have that project deadline today, but yeah, it’s about communism and the dark Web, and we thought you should know. CANDY CRUSH: You haven’t played Candy Crush in a while. You aren’t trying to quit again, are you? Last time you did that, you took up smoking. STAND UP!: We sense you’ve been sitting for a while—time to get up and moving! Walking to the fridge doesn’t count. PANDORA: We added some hot new songs to your most played station, Toddler Radio. In fact, you’ve played only Toddler Radio for the past two years. My god, you’ve listened to “The Wheels on…

LOCATION Fairfax, VA CHILDREN Keira, 9, Katelyn, 8, and Benjamin, 5 This mom of three and attorney at the Washington, D.C., office of Working Mother 100 Best Company Arnold & Porter doesn’t consider herself an expert on the subject of working motherhood. “Every day is like a constant triage,” she confesses. She’s been known to wake up at 5 a.m. on Christmas Eve to help wrap up a case, but the long hours she logs as a life sciences transactions lawyer—helping make lifesaving medications available across the globe—are all worth it. “Even though I’m not the scientist in the lab developing the new medication, my role is invaluable in bringing these drugs to market successfully,” she says. “It’s incredibly rewarding work.” And after nearly a decade of balancing both her…

Abbott HALL OF FAME Abbott Park, IL Chairman and CEO Miles D. White Executive VP, HR Stephen Fussell • CarePartner was introduced in 2017 to provide patient advocacy, care coordination and caregiving support for loved ones not already on the healthcare company’s benefits plan. • In 2017, employees started receiving more time off earlier in their tenure. For instance, employees get four weeks’ vacation after five years instead of 10. AbbVie TOP 10 North Chicago, IL Chairman and CEO Richard Gonzalez Senior VP, HR Timothy Richmond • The biopharmaceutical company upped fully paid parental leave in the U.S. from two weeks to eight. Those employees also get 10 weeks of unpaid leave that can be taken continuously or in shorter increments anytime up to one year after the birth or…

I recently had lunch with three beloved colleagues from my days as a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch. All four of us had children during our careers, so we had some colorful stories about our maternity-leave experiences and, more important, our transitions back to work. I had an additional experience of transitioning back to work after my stem-cell transplant for Hodgkin lymphoma. We’ve witnessed the changing landscape of companies supporting their mom employees, and, more recently, their dad employees, as they return from parenting and caregiving. Before there were well-thought-out policies, you relied on the fairness, wisdom and thoughtfulness of individual managers. It was a toss of a coin whether you lucked out with a good one or got stuck with a crappy one. Even after the government and HR…

Jennaea Gearhart could tell that her 2-year-old son, Jake, was physically cautious, a bit uncoordinated and didn’t like to be around too many kids at once, but it didn’t raise alarm bells initially. “He was hyperverbal, so I just thought one side of Jake’s brain was developing faster than the other,” says Jennaea, an interior designer who was living in Chicago at the time. But after she had her daughter, Maddy, Jennaea started to question her logic. “One-year-old Maddy was much more physically capable than 3-year-old Jake, even though he was almost two years older. I began to realize, Jake isn’t choosing not to climb that ladder at the park; I don’t think he can.” Jennaea scheduled an appointment with a neuropsychologist, who suggested seeing an occupational therapist. “I had…