Estée Lauder Executive Marilu Marshall to Give “Dimensions of Diversity” Talk at Mercy

Marilu Marshall, senior vice president, executive management and chief inclusion and diversity officer at The Estée Lauder Companies, will visit Mercy College next month to engage students in a conversation she calls “Dimensions of Diversity.” The event, part of a new Executive Speaker Series hosted by the School of Business, will be held November 4 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Rotunda on the Dobbs Ferry campus.

The Executive Speaker Series is one of several exciting new initiatives launched by the dean of the School of Business, Dr. Lloyd Gibson. “We felt that a series of talks with C-suite level executives would offer a unique opportunity for students to get inside the minds of highly successful people and learn from them,” he said. “Diversity is at the heart of the Mercy mission. Marilu’s topic focuses on the kind of diversity that’s not always visible to the casual observer, and that is extremely relevant to our students.”

Marshall, a former trial lawyer who began her impressive career with The Estée Lauder Companies in 1998, has worked for government, nonprofits and in the private sector. On the company’s website, Marshall sums up her approach to a diverse workforce: “Creativity and innovation thrive in an organization where different perspectives, disciplines and experiences are recognized, respected and cultivated. Creating this culture of inclusion … gives us a competitive advantage.”

Julia Wexler, Mercy’s director of employer relations, Office of Career and Professional Development, was instrumental in landing Marshall as a speaker. Wexler is continually expanding Mercy’s connections with top-level employers in the region. “Marilu Marshall is the perfect speaker for this topic,” she said. “As a Hispanic female who had to experience many things as she was growing professionally, she didn’t just rise to the top and forget her roots. Throughout her career she has made it a point to reach back and open doors for other females from a diversity background. It’s exactly the right time for our students to be motivated and inspired by this amazing role model.”