Distinguished Speaker Series: Women in the Workplace Executive Panel Discussion
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In partnership with McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company has just released its highly-anticipated Women in the Workplace report, the largest annual study on the state of women in corporate America. This year's report brings breathtaking revelations about the impact of COVID-19 on gender equality in the workplace, especially as pertains to mothers, senior-level women, and Black women.
Join Carey Business School and McKinsey & Company for a compelling first-look as our executive panelists delve into the most pressing issues facing women in the workplace today.
The discussion will feature the following prominent panelists:
- Karen Peetz, Chief Administrative Officer, Citigroup
- Lesley Slaton Brown, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, HP Inc.
- Kevin Sowers, President, Johns Hopkins Health System
This conversation will be moderated by:
- Nora Gardner, Senior Partner, McKinsey
- Alex Triantis, Dean, Johns Hopkins Business School
Panelist Bios
Karen Peetz
Chief Administrative Officer
Citigroup
Karen Peetz joined Citi in 2020 as Chief Administrative Officer. Previously, Karen spent almost 20 years at BNY Mellon, ultimately becoming President of the firm. She oversaw the company's global client management group, covering the firm's top 500 clients worldwide; regional management; and its treasury services business. She also led the company's Human Resources, global innovation, and regulatory oversight efforts.
Before joining BNY Mellon in 1998 to run the domestic corporate trust business, Karen spent 16 years with JPMorgan Chase in a variety of commercial lending, sales and business management positions, including an assignment in London.
Since retiring from BNY Mellon, Karen has been active in various corporate and nonprofit boards, including: Trane Technologies (formerly Ingersoll Rand), The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, Amherst Holdings, Johns Hopkins University and the Global Lyme Alliance. Karen is the former Chair of the Boards of United Way of New York City and Penn State University’s Board of Trustees.
Lesley Slaton Brown
Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer
HP Inc.
Lesley Slaton Brown has over 20 year of experience in the technology industry. Lesley has a unique ability to inspire and drive senior leaders to embed diversity and inclusion strategies across organizations and demonstrate impact from the boardroom to the business.
Lesley strongly believes “the time for talk is over, the time for action is now”. She operates with a growth mindset, is a problem solver and builder and disarms leaders to have the difficult conversations around diversity and inclusion. She has led key efforts to address the digital divide and build sustainable enterprise in Senegal, West Africa and is passionate about social impact and humanity.
Lesley served as the Principal Investigator for the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) Computing Project and is Co-founder of Curated Pathways to Innovation (CPI), a collective impact solution focused on broadening participation and access for minorities and women in STEM education and careers.
Lesley was recently named to the Most Powerful Women in Corporate Diversity list by Black Enterprise and has earned numerous industry accolades from Woman of the Year in Technology by Silicon Valley’s Chapter of National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Black Enterprise Top Executives in Marketing and Advertising, Savoy Magazine’s Top Influential Woman in Corporate America and has served as the 2017 Commencement speaker for University of California – Merced’s School of Engineering and Sciences.
Lesley believes strongly in giving back to the community. She has served on the Board of Directors for The Boise State University Foundation, Boise State University Alumni Association, and the Idaho Black History Museum.
Lesley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Boise State University with an emphasis in Marketing. She was a NCAA Scholarship recipient where she lettered in Women’s Basketball. Lesley works at HP Inc. headquarters in Palo Alto, CA.
Kevin Sowers
President
Johns Hopkins Health System
Kevin W. Sowers, M.S.N., R.N., F.A.A.N., is president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine. As the second person in Johns Hopkins history to hold these dual roles, Mr. Sowers oversees the health system’s six hospitals – The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Howard County General Hospital, Suburban Hospital, Sibley Memorial Hospital and Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital – and sets strategies that advance our mission to deliver outstanding care, train the next generation of leaders and advance research and discovery. He also serves as chair of Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, which has more than 40 primary and specialty care outpatient sites throughout Maryland and the Washington, D.C., area.
Mr. Sowers came to Johns Hopkins Medicine after 32 years with the Duke University Health System, the last eight as president and CEO of Duke University Hospital.
He joined Duke University Medical Center Hospital in 1985 as a staff nurse in oncology and held several faculty and nursing leadership positions. His numerous senior leadership posts across the Duke University Health System included chief operating officer for Duke University Hospital and interim CEO for Durham Regional Hospital. Among his senior administrative roles, Mr. Sowers oversaw consolidation of Duke’s clinical lab services, emergency and trauma services, and managed care and patient care services.
Active in many professional and community organizations, Mr. Sowers is a member of the Vizient board of directors and the AAMC Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems administrative board. He served as chair of the AmSurg board and was a member of the North Carolina Hospital Association board of trustees and the North Carolina Institute of Medicine board of directors. He also held leadership roles with the American Heart Association, Susan G. Komen and the Oncology Nursing Society.
Sowers earned his bachelor of science degree from Capital University School of Nursing and a master of science from Duke University School of Nursing. He is an American Academy of Nursing fellow and has collaborated on numerous research efforts as well as consulted internationally. He has published extensively and speaks nationally and abroad on issues such as leadership, organizational change, mentorship and cancer care.
Moderator Bios
Nora Gardner
Senior Partner
McKinsey
Nora Gardner is the Managing Partner of McKinsey’s Washington, D.C., location. Nora Gardner combines technical expertise with a passion for people as a client leader and sought-after mentor within McKinsey. Her PhD in biochemistry brings analytical rigor to her Organization work with clients, where she focuses on human capital across private, public, and social sectors, including health care, pharma, scientific agencies, and defense and security clients. She also leads the office’s social impact group, which connects consultants to pro bono work at local non-profits.
Nora holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Duke University and a B.S. in Biochemistry from North Carolina State University. Prior to joining McKinsey, she held post-doctoral fellowships from the American Cancer Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
She is married, has two daughters, and in 2015 was named, “Working Mother of the Year” by Working Mother Magazine.
Alex Triantis
Dean
Johns Hopkins Business School
Alexander Triantis is the third dean of Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and a professor of finance.
As an expert in the areas of corporate financial strategy and valuation, Triantis has built a reputation throughout his career as a strong, personable, and pragmatic leader skilled at building consensus around a strategic vision.
Triantis came to Carey Business School August 2019 from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, where he served as dean from 2013 to 2019. As dean of the Smith School, he promoted the development of cross-divisional research centers and initiatives focused on artificial intelligence, data analytics, enterprise and markets, ethics and regulation, financial and economic policy, and entrepreneurship. He also helped launch a number of new dual degree programs and several new graduate programs and certificates, including a top-ranking online MBA and an in-person and online MS in Business Analytics.
An engineer by training, Triantis was inspired to join academia by his father, an economics professor. Before becoming dean at the Smith School, Triantis served as a professor of finance and chair of the Finance Department from 2006 to 2011.
Triantis received his PhD in industrial engineering (with a specialization in finance) from Stanford University and his BASc and MEng degrees from the University of Toronto. Prior to joining the University of Maryland's faculty in 1995, he was a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management, and an assistant and associate professor at the University of Wisconsin.
Businessweek named Triantis an Outstanding Professor at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Maryland, and he is a two-time recipient of the Smith School’s top teaching award for faculty.
He has published articles in numerous prestigious academic journals and consulted and led training in the areas of corporate finance and valuation for multinational corporations and other large institutions. He has served as a committee member and vice president for global services for the Financial Management Association International and in July 2019, he began a three-year term on the board of directors for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, a leading global accreditation association of business schools.