IWD 2024: How Aprio is Inspiring Inclusion

March 8, 2024

Verna Myers — the renowned thought leader and diversity expert — poignantly said, “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.”

It is one thing to cultivate a diverse workforce; it is another to prioritize inclusion and commit to putting it into practice every day. Inclusion requires leaders and team members to make a continuous, lifelong commitment to lifting up and encouraging diverse voices and perspectives. Companies that prioritize inclusion should do the work to help fight discrimination, eliminate stereotypes, and promote equality — including gender equality — in all their activities.

Today is International Women’s Day, and this year’s theme is #InspireInclusion. At Aprio, inclusion is woven into the fabric of who we are as a firm. Not only are we committed to attracting and retaining gender-diverse talent, but we are constantly focused on fostering an inclusive environment for our employees. That includes removing barriers and providing equitable opportunities for all team members to succeed.

Empowering women, inspiring change

Here at Aprio, women drive our firm forward, setting the strategies that fuel growth and ultimately help us serve more clients. We are proud to have more than 1,200 women on our team, of which 50 are partners, 60 are directors, and 44 are senior managers.

To help elevate more women into leadership roles, Aprio has developed and launched a series of initiatives that promote mentorship and knowledge-sharing among female team members. Here are a few of the programs we are proud to provide:

WE@Aprio

WE is one of five employee resource groups (ERGs) available at Aprio. Our ERGs are team-driven networks that further our commitment to fostering an inclusive culture, bringing together individuals with shared identities and backgrounds to support professional and personal growth.

Co-chaired by Haley Beatty and Kellie Sanna, WE identifies and nurtures the potential of women within our organization, providing them with opportunities for skill development, mentorship, and career advancement. By raising awareness and advocating for gender equality and equity, WE plays a critical role in creating an environment that is welcoming, respectful, and free from bias.

In addition to hosting regular discussion forums and highlighting accomplishments among participants, WE plays a role in creating policies and initiatives to help Aprio acquire new female talent and better serve female clients’ business needs.

Excelle Mentorship Program

Excelle is an immersive experience designed to nurture Aprio’s future female leaders. Through the Excelle program, our female team members benefit from a blended learning model that incorporates workshops, peer learning circles, networking, and mentoring.

“The Excelle program has been an invaluable forum for helping our female employees work through all aspects of their professional identity,” says Laura Walker, Vice President and General Counsel at Aprio. “The program helps members set actionable goals for career growth — for coaches and participants alike — and the Excelle community has been a welcome space for collaboration and keeping it fun. I’m grateful for the support, learning, and camaraderie!”

Mentees in the Excelle have found the program to be beneficial to their professional growth. “Having the opportunity to participate in the Excelle Program allowed me to further experience the intentionality and care of our firm for developing its people and supporting us to recognize and build upon our strengths,” says Brittany Bird, Senior Associate in Assurance Services at Aprio. “Meeting women from across the country and even the world who represent our various offices was so impactful to build bridges and learn from each other’s different backgrounds and experiences. Empowering women in the work force doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone, and I loved hearing from women whose career paths are motivated by and for their families and seeing that this program helped us to determine what success at Aprio means for us individually based not only on our professional goals but our personal values as well.”

The investment in Excelle has proven to be unmatched and produces immeasurable results for future female leaders to develop skills to manage their careers, build long-lasting relationships with their peers, and learn from distinguished female leaders at Aprio.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Giving back is engrained into our culture and social mission. Our dynamic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) approach creates positive social impact, innovative programs, and meaningful community partnerships.

“I love that Aprio encourages and empowers team members to join nonprofit boards,” says Michele Blondheim, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Executive Director of the Aprio Foundation. “My nonprofit board experience has provided me the most wonderful and valuable personal learning and development opportunities, as well as professional and business experiences. It is a personal commitment for sure, but I think everyone should join a nonprofit board, especially one with a cause that they are super passionate about!”

Through CSR, we empower entrepreneurism by providing financial and business advice to build thriving communities, prepare the next generation of business owners through education, and ensure businesses are sustainable and environmentally focused.

Inclusion drives impact

At Aprio, we know that our commitment to inclusion extends far beyond International Women’s Day. By encouraging a sense of belonging and empowering women to lead, we strive to create a lasting, positive impact on our team members, our clients, our communities, and our society as a whole.