Thasunda Brown Duckett says she learned everything she needed to know about being a CEO at a young age.
The 52-year-old TIAA CEO told Wharton School graduates in 2023 that from early childhood, she honed one of her most crucial skills as a leader: her character.
“What I know today, as a leader, is that I rent my title, I own my character,” she said.
Duckett is the first woman to lead the $46 billion insurance company after taking the reins in 2021, and is one of only two Black women currently serving as Fortune 500 chief executives. In 1987, Duckett’s predecessor, Clifton Wharton made history as the first Black CEO of a major U.S. corporation when he took leadership of TIAA. However, despite the company’s substantial size, it was omitted from the Fortune 500 at the time.
The famed annual Fortune 500 list ranks the largest U.S. companies by revenue, representing approximately two-thirds of U.S. GDP. Since its debut in 1955, the Fortune 500 has tracked more than 2,000 CEO arrivals and departures.
