Leading with Purpose and Values
Thasunda Brown Duckett, M.B.A. ’01, has already stacked quite the collection of achievements and recognition over her remarkable career. Currently serving as the president and CEO of TIAA — now a Fortune 100 financial powerhouse — she is the company’s first female CEO and only the third Black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company, earning Baylor’s 2022 Alumna of the Year honor.
Duckett recently added another monumental accolade to the list: ranking No. 31 on the Fortune 100 Most Powerful People in Business List.
Listed right alongside names of global titans of industry like Gates, Buffett, Altman and Zuckerberg, Duckett’s ascent was marked by nearly two decades at JPMorgan Chase, where she rose to CEO of Chase Consumer Banking, overseeing more than 40,000 employees and a network serving 23 million households.
She previously held leadership roles that include CEO of Chase Auto Finance, national retail sales executive for Chase Mortgage Banking and director of emerging markets for Fannie Mae, centered on expanding homeownership opportunities for minority communities — a key early indicator of her lifelong focus on closing wealth and opportunity gaps.
These accomplishments have earned Duckett wide recognition: ranked among the Top 10 Women on Fortune’s 2021 Most Powerful Women list, named to the Forbes World’s Most Powerful Women list and celebrated on EBONY Media’s Power 100. These accolades testify not only to her professional excellence but also to her deep-seated belief in leadership with purpose.
“Growing up, I didn’t know what corporate America was,” Duckett shared in a 2022 Baylor Magazine feature. “I know what it’s like to open up the refrigerator and only see baking soda. And somehow my parents made a way … You can’t help but be grateful that you have an opportunity to write new stories, to show what’s possible for other young girls or people that just don’t see themselves in power positions based on their background.”
Along the way, Duckett recognized she needed to add to her toolbelt of training, completing Baylor’s Executive M.B.A. program. She says Baylor’s values made it the ideal choice, praising her professors for their caliber of teaching, genuine care and intentional conversations.
“It was also about the other students — we all had similar values,” she recalled. “We were curious about learning. We loved Baylor, and we became better leaders through the program.”
Duckett’s ascent to the highest ranks of the business world continues to inspire the next generations of leaders and provides a powerful example of value-driven leadership to the entire Baylor Family.