Coffee Hour: Women’s History Month

April 13, 2022

To celebrate Women’s History Month, the E&I Committee hosted its March monthly Coffee Hour with our first very special guest, Monica Tibbits-Nutt! Monica, who is no stranger to public speaking, graciously accepted our request to come speak to staff and embraced the opportunity to present on her personal journey, diving into more intimate topics than those on which many of us have seen her speak. Naturally, transportation was still a big part of the presentation as it is a big part of her life, and she described her first experience with buses, taking one for over two hours a day to get to school from her small, poor Amish town to get the education that allowed her to be the first person in her family to go to college. She also discussed her experience with racism in the Midwest, growing up surrounded by a very active Klan presence. She reflected on how she learned about the inequalities of the world early in life and how transportation opened doors for her. This motivated her to give others the same empowerment.

Following the presentation, HSH staff engaged in a Q&A-style discussion with Monica. With more than half of the company in attendance, Monica answered many of the staff’s questions related to how to navigate difficult workplace situations, how to be a better ally, how to create an inclusive working environment, how to best serve the communities in which we work, and many more.

Feedback following the coffee hour indicated that this was one of our best yet. Staff felt seen and heard by Monica’s story, learned a lot from the Q&A, and generally felt invigorated by the time that we spent together. Thank you, Monica!