On Sept. 25, Seton Hall launched its Women in Leadership Speaker Series with their first speaker, Catherine Tantillo, global head of Social Impact and Community Relations at Lord, Abbett & Co.
The Women in Leadership Speaker series aims to “highlight women leaders and provide students, staff and colleagues authentic connections and inspiration,” said Dr. Mary Kate Naatus, dean of continuing education and one of the event’s organizers.
Naatus said the series will feature “outstanding” female professionals and leaders.
The kickoff of the series brought that vision to life, packing a room of over 30 people to hear Tantillo share her experiences and perspectives on leadership.
Tantillo started her speech by explaining her role at Lord, Abbett & Co. Tantillo described herself as being passionate about engagement. Her role as head of social impact makes Tantillo in charge of diversity in the office, enhancing productivity in the workplace and ensuring that Lord Abbett continues to deliver on their company mission of “[being] the most respected asset manager in the world”.
Tantillo then took questions from listeners, keeping the event casual and conversational.
The first question, asked by Olivia Howard, a sophomore public relations major, was about how to deal with “finance bros” and networking as a woman in a male-dominated field.
Tantillo responded by drawing on her background in finance, agreeing that the field remains male-dominated. She emphasized the need for more women in leadership positions to make meaningful change; however, it isn’t only women who need to put in the work. Male coworkers and leaders need to advocate for their female counterparts and peers, for change, she said.
Tantillo added that male leaders will always be “that guy” when praising their workers or recommending them for better positions, but “what about that gal?” She said she has a strong ‘see something, say something mindset’ and chooses to advocate for both male and female coworkers.
Her advice to any woman entering a male-dominated field is to walk into a room full of men, with confidence, and never let them intimidate you.
Tantillo continued answering questions for the remainder of the event. Topics included renewability, making connections, leadership, mental health, classroom engagement and more.
The series struck a chord with female audience members, who reflected on how Tantillo’s speech resonated with them. For Howard, the biggest takeaway was the importance of authenticity and empowerment.
“Be yourself…Don’t be afraid to challenge something or empower others around you that you know deserve to be empowered…You’re the representation–be the representation you want to be,” she said.
Tantillo’s role as the inaugural speaker set the tone for the rest of the series by stressing empowerment and possibility, a theme that stood out to Nicole Uretzky, a sophomore psychology and Spanish double major.
“Showing women that … these opportunities are available, just because so many people are like, oh, ‘I want to go into this, but I don’t know if it’s even possible,’” Uretzky said. “It’s having that mental strength to know you can do it.”
Leah Cabrera, a sophomore political science major, shared a similar perspective.
“I think it’s going to give women a whole new perspective of how to approach the world outside of grad, post-grad,” she said.
The series continued with speaker Jazzlyn Feliciano on Sept. 30. Rha Goddess will lead the next discussion, focused on ambition and authenticity in leadership, on Oct. 14. Students can register for upcoming events here.
Allison Phong is a writer for The Setonian’s News section. She can be reached at allison.phong@student.shu.edu.
