Aon’s Diverse Talent Initiative was created to diversify the candidate pool during the recruitment process. As part of this initiative, Aon is working with six universities, five of which are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), to create new opportunities and programs for students. Most recently, Aon, Brooklyn College’s Murray Koppelman School of Business and The Spencer Educational Foundation announced they will develop a series of cutting-edge risk management courses and programs at the undergraduate level to better prepare students for a career in risk management, insurance, finance and other professions. For an insider perspective on the impact of this initiative, host Kevin Johnson, Aon’s North America Growth Enablement Leader, is joined by Meghan Parrilla, Aon’s VP, Global Early Careers – Growth and Partnerships, and Josh Williams, Aon’s Early Careers Diversity and Partnership Lead. They discuss the highlights of Aon’s Diverse Talent Initiative and the effect it will have not only on Aon and the participating schools, but on the community at large.
Aon’s Diverse Talent Initiative was created to diversify the candidate pool during the recruitment process. As part of this initiative, Aon is working with six universities, five of which are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), to create new opportunities and programs for students. Most recently, Aon, Brooklyn College’s Murray Koppelman School of Business and The Spencer Educational Foundation announced they will develop a series of cutting-edge risk management courses and programs at the undergraduate level to better prepare students for a career in risk management, insurance, finance and other professions. For an insider perspective on the impact of this initiative, host Kevin Johnson, Aon’s North America Growth Enablement Leader, is joined by Meghan Parrilla, Aon’s VP, Global Early Careers – Growth and Partnerships, and Josh Williams, Aon’s Early Careers Diversity and Partnership Lead. They discuss the highlights of Aon’s Diverse Talent Initiative and the effect it will have not only on Aon and the participating schools, but on the community at large.
Additional Resources:
Inside P&C: Aon partners with Brooklyn College to promote diversity in business
Brooklyn Daily Eagle: New Academic Programs Offer Scholarships
Tweetables:
“We’re forming partnerships and genuine relationships on a level that is much deeper than we usually do.” — Meghan Parrilla
“To see these relationships grow with each campus that we’re involved with has been so rewarding.” — Josh Williams
“We have had some amazing engagement from our colleagues and it’s so great to see them really get behind and care about it.” — Meghan Parrilla
“This is really a collaborative partnership and we’ve seen this opportunity to impact students' lives beyond just the academic and career opportunities.” — Meghan Parrilla
“We want to be able to impact the communities behind these universities as well as meet students at a place where they can succeed.” — Josh Williams
Voiceover:
Welcome to “On Aon,” a podcast featuring conversations between colleagues on, well, Aon. This week, we hear from Meghan Parrilla and Josh Williams about Aon’s Diverse Talent Initiative. And now, this week’s host, Kevin Johnson.
Kevin Johnson:
Good afternoon colleagues. My name is Kevin Johnson, and I've been with Aon for approximately 11 years. And I'm currently serving as Aon's North America Growth Enablement Leader. With me today is Meghan Parrilla and Josh Williams. Meghan has been with Aon since 2008, and currently serves as Aon's VP of Global Early Careers for Growth and Partnerships. Meghan has unique insight to today's topic, Aon's work with HBCUs and Diverse Talent Initiative, leading the team in charge of Aon's early career growth strategy and the cultivation of critical partnerships, like the one we're going to be discussing today.
Kevin Johnson:
Now, Josh has been with Aon for two years and currently serves as Aon's Early Careers Diversity and Partnerships Lead. Josh is joining us today to add perspective to our discussion from his experience as a university team member for Brooklyn College and his new role of managing the strategy and direction of the Diverse Talent Initiative. So, I want to thank you both for being here, Meghan and Josh with us today. Now, before we get started, I'd like to, start us both with a warmup question. Can you both please share with me and our listeners, what excites you most about your role at Aon, Meghan why don't you go first?
Meghan Parrilla:
Yeah. Thanks Kevin. I'm so glad to be here. And I was thrilled to be asked to participate in the podcast and share some key insights into some amazing work our organization is focused on. To answer your question about what excites me about my role is that I get to work with some very talented and amazing colleagues on work that is super impactful to our organization. Not only now, but also in the future and also for our industry.
Kevin Johnson:
Great. Thank you, Meghan. The work that you're doing is just so important and I think that there's a lot of good things that's in our future here. Let's jump to Josh. Josh, why don't you answer that question for me?
Josh Williams:
Awesome. Thanks, Kevin. Great to be here. Really excited to be on the “On Aon” podcast series, because it gives us an opportunity to talk about the Diverse Talent Initiative and some of the ways Aon is leading the charge and making a comfortable space for all of the employees. To answer your question, my favorite part about my current role is interacting with students and faculty and really getting a chance to see them actively learn about risk management, the industry, and their part in joining the industry as well.
Kevin Johnson:
Thanks for that, Josh. Now that we're both all warmed up here, why don't we jump in with a more meatier question? You both have done a lot of work to help develop Aon's Diverse Talent Initiative. Can you share with our listeners a little bit about what the initiative is and how it's helping Aon strengthen its relationship with Historically Black Colleges and Universities also known as HBCUs. Meghan, why don't you go first?
Meghan Parrilla:
Yeah, so essentially the goal of this initiative is to diversify our talent attraction pool in the early careers side, which is that entry level coming from college into Aon. And really this just through fostering partnerships with six key universities, five of which are actually Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The goal in this is really for us to create these partnerships and genuine relationships with students and the resources at their college and continue to partner with these universities on a level that is much deeper than just what we normally do with colleges, where it's going to career fairs or posting positions on their job boards. And that this is really a further relationship we can have with these universities.
Kevin Johnson:
That's great. Meghan, I love the idea of really forging partnerships because working together really creates an incredible dynamic in which to grow on. So great work there. Josh, what would you add to that?
Josh Williams:
Kevin I think Meghan covered the high level overview of the initiative, perfectly. Being involved in this program, since it’s inception, I've been able to see the growth of the program. And I would just say that the university's reception to Aon has been fantastic. Students have welcomed us and welcomed the idea of becoming a part of our organization and to see that grow within each campus that we're a part of has been so rewarding in my eyes. Students and faculty actually reach out to our university leads all the time via LinkedIn, our social media platforms. And just to tell us about what they've learned through the different programs that we've put together and they are really becoming excited about Aon.
Kevin Johnson:
And yeah, that really is exciting. I know through firsthand experience and in talking with others that we didn't really get a lot of play from HBCUs in the past and it was almost like they didn't know we were there. So, it's really exciting to hear how this is really starting to develop into the place to be, so really exciting. I want to pivot to my next question here. I'm interested in hearing a bit more about what really led Aon to its Diverse Talent Initiative and sparked the idea in the first place. Josh, why don't you go first this time.
Josh Williams:
Kevin, I think the great thing about Aon and some of the things that we offer our colleagues are that we create a space where colleagues can develop both professionally and in their endeavors. And a lot of our colleagues across this initiative, they became involved for their passion around the topic and they really have a commitment to diversity equity and inclusion. Like many of our colleagues here at Aon, I actually graduated from an HBCUs myself. So, this work is near and dear to my heart as well as the other colleagues involved.
Josh Williams:
So, with that, I'll just take a minute to shout out our university leaders, Janie Douglas, Jada Cherry, Venus Jackson, Susan Johnson, Ron Harkins and Barbara Evans, and their dedicated teams with folks like Jonathan Little, Robin Perkins, and Precious Pitman to name a few. And while we're recognizing the folks who made this all possible, we wanted to thank our executive sponsors, Aaron Olson, and Lambros Lambrou for their leadership and support. Last but not least, we'd like to say a special thanks to the leaders who have helped steer the initiative since its inception, Andrea O'Leary, Jillian Winston, Jillian Radke, and Jennifer Dunmore.
Kevin Johnson:
Thank you. What I really love about this is, you look at these leaders for the different colleges and what have you, and people like to see themselves and the people that are representing these organizations. And so we have some really high profile, really classy, smart, intelligent individuals, that are representing our firm that look like the people that they're reaching out to. So, I think that's a really cool, aspect of this. Meghan, why don't we hear from you a little bit on that?
Meghan Parrilla:
Yeah. And as Josh shared, we have had some amazing engagement from colleagues and as you said, Kevin, it's just so great to see the passion around it from all our colleagues and what they share and really getting behind and supporting this initiative and really caring. I'll actually just take a step to how we got to the six universities. We landed there actually by work, our summer intern class of 2020 did. So each year, just for some historic understanding of how our intern program works.
Meghan Parrilla:
We have interns join us every summer for about 10 weeks. And at the end of their internship, they actually all complete an action learning project in a small group. And we leveraged analysis conducted by one of these intern groups that partnered with our recruiting team and gave us their thoughts to select these six colleges and universities to partner with today. So as you can see, and hear, our interns at Aon really do get a real experience in this program. And many times, the great work on the projects that they work on every summer really get... are moved forward, supported by our executive leadership, by our colleagues, and really have a true impact on our firm.
Kevin Johnson:
Yeah, Meghan, I think that's so important to get that real experience. Having led a number of interns coming in and what have you, they are actually getting to do the work. They are getting real life experience. So, I think that's invaluable, for them. My next question is I want to know... I know that Aon recently partnered with Brooklyn College as part of the Diverse Talent Initiative. Can you share a little more about that partnership and some of the curriculum that it entails, Meghan why don't you go first on this?
Meghan Parrilla:
Yeah, sure. And we've had some great momentum with Brooklyn College. And so, working with Brooklyn College’s Murray Koppelman School of Business and the Spencer Education Foundation, we've actually created a risk management course for the undergraduate program that trains the students in both risk management, insurance, finance, and other professions. And many people don't know about the risk management industry. So, having the ability to bring that into a school and have that curriculum is a really great and amazing impact. And I would just be remissed to say that Jada Cherry who leads that team with Brooklyn College and the team worked really closely with the Koppelman School dean Qing Hu and his staff to sponsor this three-credit course on the fundamentals of risk management and insurance, which was offered actually in this 2022 winter intercession.
Kevin Johnson:
That's awesome. Josh, what would you like to share about Aon's partnerships with Brooklyn College?
Josh Williams:
Kevin, as I mentioned before, I've been involved with the work at Brooklyn College since late 2020, and it's truly been amazing to see the partnership develop and see how the Brooklyn College staff is really catering towards their students. They worked with us to not only develop the curriculum, but to create a plan, to put this risk management course into action and then steps to expand on that afterward. So, it's great to see that the educators and administrative staff there are taking such an interest in their students and creating opportunities for them after their academic. For me, the most exciting part, however, was that we were able to fund tuition up for up to 25 students for this risk management course, students who complete the reward requirements. I think it's extremely rewarding to see that we can tangibly show our commitment to some of our university partners. And it shows up in the talented people that are joining the firm. As a testament to that, we had four Brooklyn College students that received full-time offers in 2021. And they'll be joining the firm in 2022.
Kevin Johnson:
That's great. Josh and I have to tell you I'm a little bit jealous. I wish I had someone to pay some of my tuition. I think that shows a commitment just beyond checking that box and putting together a program when you start putting your money where your mouth is... that speaks volumes about what this really means to an individual, but to our firm and the commitment that they had. So, with that, it's about where the rubber meets the road, right? I'd love to hear from both of you a bit more on the program's impact and not only for Aon, but also the local communities that are involved. Meghan, what can you tell us about that?
Meghan Parrilla:
Yeah. The great thing about this partnership is that it doesn't just stop at this curriculum development in this course, thanks to Brooklyn College's staff and faculty, they keep us in the loop on what the students are saying, their excitement around the course, their feedback, so we can have a true impact on their experience. This is really a collaborative partnership, and we've really had this seamless opportunity to impact the students’ lives beyond just the academic and career opportunities.
Meghan Parrilla:
As Josh had mentioned, we covered the tuition for students taking this course. And that was an opportunity that Aon saw to fill an area of need that was highlighted by professors and staff back to us at Aon as we worked with them on this. A fact that we found out is many of the college students, they worked part-time in addition to their studies and really could have benefited from the tuition relief. As you just said, Kevin, in being able to, have someone pay some of your college tuition. So being able to provide that was just so impactful and really, a win-win for all. In addition to the work we do with Brooklyn College, as we've talked about, we have other universities we partner with, we have supported five other HBCUs across the U.S through COVID funding and helping them in needs that they have and letting them use it, how they see fit for their university.
Kevin Johnson:
That's great. That's really exciting. Josh, what would you add to that?
Josh Williams:
Kevin, I think Meghan hit on such an important topic and sort of the reason behind why we engage schools the way we do. We want to be able to impact the communities behind these universities as well and meet students at a place where they can learn it and succeed themselves. Oftentimes we're working with students who are also coming from marginalized communities and we make a concerted effort to identify ways that Aon can actually support that growth. To do that, we have to approach the idea of inclusion and equity at a human level. And all that means is that when we take into account events with our partner schools, we're thinking of these students as people and being mindful of the different ways and they may show up in the identities that they may hold.
Kevin Johnson:
Well, thank you. Meghan and Josh, I just want to thank each of you so much for, the great work and important work that you're doing on behalf of the firm. And I have to tell you, I'm really proud of this effort that our firm is putting out there. It's going to make not only a difference for our firm, but indeed the communities in which all of these individuals that are coming from, and it's going to create an interesting legacy for the HBCUs to really look at Aon in a very serious way. So, I'm really excited and just proud of that work that's being undertaken by you and your team, so kudos to you. Just a little bit of fun before we spin out of this podcast here today. I want to ask you each a personal question so that folks get to know you a little bit better. And I've chosen a question for each of you. That's different to just give a little bit more perspective on who you are. Why don't we start with you, Josh. Can you share with our listeners, what's your favorite thing to do when you're not working.
Josh Williams:
Well, thanks, Kevin. My favorite thing to do when I'm not working is, is watch football. I'm a huge football guy being New York based. I'm a Giants guy, so I bleed blue, but other than that, I also played collegiate football for South Carolina State University. So, love to see what the Bulldogs are doing.
Kevin Johnson:
Awesome. Thank you. And Meghan, I'd like to ask you, how did you get ready for the workday?
Meghan Parrilla:
Yeah, so I'm a mom of an almost four-year-old here in the Chicagoland area and about to have a second very soon. So my workday usually starts with getting ready before my almost four-year-old wakes up. Sometimes I'm successful other times I'm not at that. And managing the dualness of getting ready for work and getting a four-year-old to pre-school. But my day will never start without a cup of coffee, because I for sure need a cup of coffee every morning.
Kevin Johnson:
Well, thank you, Meghan. And hear, hear to all the coffee drinkers!
Voiceover:
This has been a conversation “On Aon” and Aon’s Diverse Talent Initiative. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this week’s episode, tune in in two weeks for a discussion on Aon’s 2021 Weather, Climate and Catastrophe Insight report. To learn more about Aon, its colleagues, solutions and news, check out our show notes, and visit our website at Aon dot com.