When Women@CRA was first launched, its goal was to create a space where women team members could come together to share their experiences and perspectives, while forging connections that could support them in their career journeys.
Earlier this year, as part of a broader effort to strengthen its employee resource groups (ERGs), Women@CRA was relaunched with a new logo—and a renewed commitment to activities and impact.
Now, as we hit the ground running in the new year, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on Women@CRA’s accomplishments in 2022, while acknowledging the people and ideas that have helped transform this ERG into a trust catalyst for change and new ideas.
Doing the Work
Since its founding, Women@CRA has seen its membership increase more than sevenfold, with much of that growth coming in the past year.
The biggest reason for this recent surge has been the numerous events Women@CRA has either hosted or participated in at CRA offices, giving us a chance to highlight Women@CRA’s mission and impact—and helping bring even more colleagues into the fold.
Other events and initiatives included:
- Its first-ever external-facing client event;
- Online campaigns celebrating International Women’s Day; and
- A chance to share the group’s vision, mission, and objectives at an all-CRA meeting, as well as with senior leaders at CRA’s annual officers’ retreat.
Based on input we received directly from Women@CRA members, we have started a series of discussions with the corporate benefits team to better understand all the ways the firm currently supports female colleagues as well as weigh in on how current benefits might be enhanced.
Looking Ahead
On the heels of a remarkably successful 2022, Women@CRA is excited to highlight its key goals and priorities for 2023.
First and foremost, the programs and initiatives the group undertakes must fully align with CRA’s values and commitments—including its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) efforts. In addition, it means ensuring programs/initiatives reflect the firm’s broader goals of creating more avenues for team-member feedback.
In addition, Women@CRA leadership will be dedicating more time to the ERG’s most important priorities: creating more partnerships within CRA (particularly when it comes to CRA’s training and recruiting efforts); committing to more regular communications (emails, calls, etc.); and ensuring its committees remain as dynamic as possible.
An ERG is only as strong as its people, and those that make up Women@CRA have been a true testament to CRA’s culture and legacy. But while the group has accomplished much, its work is far from over. Which is why Women@CRA remains committed to meeting the needs of its growing membership, while developing the kinds of programs that can grow its ranks—and help make CRA a stronger firm in the process.
