Thasunda Brown Duckett
Thasunda Brown Duckett is the President and CEO of TIAA, a leading provider of retirement and financial services for academic, research, medical, and governmental workers. Appointed in May 2021, she became the fourth Black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company.
Born in Rochester, New York, Duckett’s family moved to Texas during her youth. She earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing from the University of Houston and an MBA from Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business. Duckett oversees TIAA’s organization, managing $1 trillion in assets, serving nearly five million clients across more than 15,000 institutions. Her leadership focuses on addressing retirement insecurity, particularly among women and communities of color, by promoting financial inclusion and advocating for in-plan annuities in retirement plans.
Before joining TIAA, Duckett held executive roles at JPMorgan Chase, including CEO of Chase Consumer Banking, where she led a network of over 50,000 employees and managed $600 billion in deposits. She also spearheaded the Advancing Black Pathways initiative aimed at promoting economic success among Black Americans. Beyond her corporate responsibilities, Duckett serves on the boards of several organizations, including Nike, Inc., Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and Sesame Workshop. She founded the Otis and Rosie Brown Foundation to honor her parents’ legacy for their unwavering support to the community. In 2023, Duckett was ranked 16th on Fortune’s list of Most Powerful Women.
