Baylor alumna named among Fortune’s ‘most powerful people in business’

From an early age, Thasunda Brown Duckett’s father taught her an old proverb: Shoot for the moon, because even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.

That advice has served Duckett (MBA ’01) well. Over the last decade, she’s served as CEO of Chase Consumer Banking (2016-21) and, since 2021, as CEO of TIAA — a leading financial services provider that ranks among the 100 largest corporations in America. Her success earned her recognition as Baylor’s Alumna of the Year for 2022.

She’s also been honored nationally in recent years — among the most powerful women in banking (American Banker), the nation’s most powerful women (Fortune), and now the nation’s most powerful people in business (Fortune).

“Growing up, I didn’t know what corporate America was,” she told Baylor Magazine. “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 something more; she found it in Baylor’s Executive M.B.A. program. She says Baylor’s values made it the ideal choice, and she praised her professors for their caliber of teaching, genuine care and beneficial conversations.

“It was also about the other students; we all had similar values,” she recalls. “We were curious about learning. We loved Baylor, and we became better leaders through the program.”

Making Fortune’s list is only the latest recognition of that.

Sic ’em, Thasunda!