Ella Bell works to diversify corporate America’s top ranks
Multicultural women may form the largest segment of the entering workforce
in the United States, yet when it comes to management positions they remain
disproportionately underrepresented. Just 6.3 percent of U.S. corporate
managers are women of color. At the board-directorship level of top
Fortune-ranked companies, that figure drops to three percent.
 Ella Bell (Photo by Mark
Washburn)
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An initiative by Ella L. J.
Edmondson Bell, associate professor of business administration at the Tuck School of Business, attempts to
narrow this gap. ASCENT:
Leading Multicultural Women to the Top is the first organization of its
kind dedicated to advancing multicultural women in today’s corporate workforce.
The national, nonprofit organization focuses on developing skills and talent
through research, executive education, networking opportunities, and corporate
sponsorships.
“ASCENT fills a void in positioning multicultural women,” says Bell. “And
that means all women can take their place at the table with confidence, poise,
and wisdom so they can rise within American companies as leaders.”
ASCENT’s timing is critical. Despite recent efforts by companies to retain
women, the challenges facing multicultural women continue to go unnoticed.
“These women are more educated and better prepared to succeed in the
corporate arena than at any other period in our history,” says Bell.
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