April 15, 2021

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MILWAUKEE — Dr. Jessica Mason, senior policy analyst and engagement manager for workplace programs at the National Partnership for Women and Families, will keynote the final conversation in the Pay Equity Series hosted by Marquette University’s Institute for Women’s Leadership on Tuesday, April 20, at 1 p.m.

NOTE: This release has been updated to reflect a change in speaker. Due to conflicts in relation to her new White House appointment as deputy assistant to the President and Asian American and Pacific Islander Senior Liaison, Erika Moritsugu will be unable to speak at this event.

Mason will speak on the importance of family and medical leave being paid, how this can be achieved, and its micro and macro benefits. She will be joined by Janet Lucas-Taylor, senior director of benefits at Northwestern Mutual, to discuss how Northwestern Mutual has implemented paid leave and the effects it has had.

Registration is open for the online event.

Mason oversees in-house research and data analysis, tracks developments in academic and other research, and develops advocacy resources related to the workplace and economic security agenda. She also helps find ways to engage with current and new allies in this work. Prior to her work at the National Partnership, she was an instructor in Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a researcher on economic justice and anti-corruption issues for the Center for Media and Democracy. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In her role with Northwestern Mutual, Lucas-Taylor leads employee benefits strategy and implementation. Prior to that, she served as an employee benefits consultant, servicing large national employers in the areas of health care, wellness, and employee engagement and experience. She is passionate about employee benefits and how intelligent benefit design can help employees receive value from their overall benefits plans and lead healthier lives.

The conversation is the final installment in a three-part series hosted by the IWL, following talks on “Paycheck Fairness and Equity Audits” and “The Subminimum Wage.” Both talks are available on demand.

The Institute for Women’s Leadership builds upon Marquette University’s historic role as the first coeducational Catholic university in the world beginning in 1909. The mission of the IWL is to advance women’s leadership locally and globally through pioneering research, innovative programming and collaborative engagement.

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About Kevin Conway

Kevin is the associate director for university communication in the Office of University Relations. Contact Kevin at (414) 288-4745 or kevin.m.conway@marquette.edu.