Thasunda Brown Duckett
President and Chief Executive Officer | TIAA
University of Houston, B.B.A., Finance and Marketing | Baylor University – Hankamer School of Business, M.B.A.
Thasunda Brown Duckett is President and Chief Executive Officer of TIAA, a leading provider of secure retirements and outcome-focused investment solutions for millions of people and thousands of institutions with $1.5 trillion in assets under management.
She leads a company whose mission is defined by financial inclusion and opportunity – goals and values she has upheld throughout her career. Under her leadership, TIAA is expanding its mission beyond higher education to all Americans saving for retirement.
Before joining TIAA in 2021, she held several key executive roles during a 17-year career at JPMorganChase, including CEO of the Consumer Bank and Auto Finance. She was the first African American named to the firm’s operating committee.
A seasoned corporate director, Duckett serves on the boards of NIKE, Robert and Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, Sesame Workshop, National Medal of Honor Museum, Economic Club of New York, NewYork-Presbyterian, the University of Houston Board of Visitors, the Dean’s Advisory Board for Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business, and the Aspen Institute’s Workplace Innovation Now (WIN) Challenge Council. She also is a member of the Executive Leadership Council CEO Advisory Board, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and Jack and Jill of America.
In addition, Duckett is an appointee to the Business Council Executive Committee and the Committee for Economic Development. She also serves on the board of Business Roundtable. In May 2026, she was named a co-chair of the FutureWorks Commission, a New York blue ribbon panel focused on helping navigate the impact of artificial intelligence on the state’s workers and the economy.
Duckett has received a wide array of accolades from financial media, including Fortune, Barron’s and American Banker. She has also been listed as one of the TIME100 Most Influential People in the World and one of Forbes’ Greatest 250 Self-Made Americans as well as being named a CNBC Changemaker and being inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
Duckett has been awarded honorary degrees from several institutions, including Hofstra University, Howard University and American University.
She founded the Otis and Rosie Brown Foundation in honor of her parents to recognize and reward people who use ordinary means to empower and uplift their community in extraordinary ways.
Duckett grew up in Texas and lives in Connecticut with her family. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Marketing from the University of Houston and an MBA from Baylor University.