Do you remember your first day on the job?

Yes, I do, actually. My first impression of American Express was the same as the reason I actually joined the company. It's very much performance-based; it's all about what you put in—but work/life balance, which is very important to me, is also very much stressed here. One of the reasons I selected the company is because it really does allow you to give the best of yourself while maintaining balance with your marriage or children or what-ever that means to you. There are formally flexible schedules—I have a formal telecommuting schedule myself. I work from home formally one day a week, but also can work from home whenever I need to because of family mandates. I've been doing this since I started with the company, and it has not in any way been an impediment to my career. And that's really the way the company is—they allow you to do what you need to do in terms of managing your work/life balance, but you're accountable for your results at the same time, so the more you prove to the company that you can deliver, the more it enhances your equity and allows you even more flexibility if your personal needs require it.

What is it like for new hires of color to come and work for AmEx?

You are really encouraged to participate in the process of building a strong culture in the company. There are lots of groups that you can participate in, like the Black Employee Network Group. We have Asian and Hispanic groups, mentoring groups, professional orientation development groups, new hire forums where we invite leaders to speak to new hires and talk about their experiences and career paths within the company—and I have participated in and benefited from all of these.

The Black Employee Network is specifically for African-Americans (although others can still join), and they host career panels where all the employees participate, coming in on the lunch hour, and they eat with African-American leaders throughout the company. I've been invited many times to speak on those panels. We ask questions about getting ahead, work/life balance, etc., and my colleagues and I talk about our experiences and address those questions.

Our formal mentoring program is for all employees to take advantage of. It lets you be paired with a senior leader in the organization who checks in with you on an ongoing basis to see how things are going. I meet with employees in my division to discuss these issues as well. We have employees who are balancing work/life issues who might be fresh out of graduate school but are young parents, and we talk about exactly those types of things. I'm a very strong advocate of flexibility; it has helped me, and I know how important it is to working parents who need to show up for work every day. I'm a tremendous advocate of it throughout the entire organization, and I preach that every day.

So those are some of the types of things that the company has for its employees to take advantage of. It's a place that's very supportive of people with different lifestyles. It's a very friendly environment, and although it's also competitive, it's competitive in a good way. If you give the best of yourself, you will reap the benefits, in terms of both formal compensation and opportunities for development and promotion.

What does it take to succeed within the company?

Your strong results must be delivered on a consistent basis. You also have to show a lot of initiative and drive to get things done. Participate in the culture of the company, not only in terms of what you can do in your job today but what can you do to help your colleagues move ahead. It's an environment that rewards people who reach out to their colleagues, because if your colleagues succeed, so will you. It's not about rewarding employees who behave very selfishly to get ahead. What I like about it here is that it's team-orient-ed in a very good way. But you also get individual benefits in terms of formal compensation, promotion opportunities, and that type of thing.

I think it's a terrific time, to be honest, to be a person of color in Corporate America. I relish being an African-American woman, and being one who delivers, because companies are recognizing that we have tremendous value to bring to organizations and are looking to develop talented employees of any color. I have benefited from that at American Express, and I feel that there are no limits to what I can accomplish. I charge ahead every day, giving the best of myself. I'm passionate about it. I feel very blessed, and I give thanks for my blessings every day.

What's the corporate culture like at American Express?

What I consistently find here is that people are very smart and ambitious, and that they are very interested in making people leaders here. The first thing I noticed when I came is that there is a lot of management responsibility given—not necessarily managing a staff, but certainly managing a project. People are driven here, but not in a mean-spirited way—they are always striving to do better, which is good when you have smart, focused, ambitious people who are always looking for ways to improve. The company's not going to rest on its laurels; there are always things we can do to improve. So it's up to every employee to figure out how they can help achieve that.

When students of color join the company, will they feel welcome and see a lot of other people who look like them?

I certainly did. There are lots of people of color at different levels. The company has a Black Employee Network, so you're definitely exposed to people who are VPs. Every department has its own profile, but you can see people in all areas of the company who have risen through the ranks. I don't feel any glass ceiling. Being a woman is not a barrier, nor is being a person of color. It has not been an issue for me. If management sees talent, there will be opportunities.

Can you talk about your own experiences with the company's diversity initiative?

I've always participated in our diversity recruitment initiatives like the Consortium Event, which is for graduate students at several universities that are committed to increasing the enrolment of diversity candidates in their MBA programs. American Express is very involved in supporting that organization. Every year there's an orientation program where all the upcoming MBAs who've been given fellowships or scholarships meet, and it's the first time they get to meet with some of the companies that support these initiatives, so American Express always has a booth and spends a day at the career fairs there. I'm on the floor talking to the students and giving them my take on the company. There are also receptions where we talk about what to expect at American Express, why I chose the company myself. It's great for me too since there are people from all over the company who come to these functions, and I get to network with lots of people that way.

What do students find most surprising about the company as you're talking to them?

I think it's the opportunities you get—the idea that even though you're part of the team, you're allowed to work on high-profile kinds of things, learn what senior management is thinking. Another thing that impresses people and that impressed me too was the consistent message you get from American Express no matter what color the recruiter is: consistent energy and great stories about the opportunities here and how people are given fantastic projects.

If you were to highlight one competence that American Express tries to bring out, what would it be?

Leadership, because there are a lot of times where you are asked to take the lead on something. Communication skills are also very important here, because you're often making presentations directly to or to be given by executives. The boss has to feel comfortable that if you are to give a presentation, you can be clear in your communication about the company. A lot of challenging opportunities are offered, which is part of the way that American Express tries to avoid the status quo. You definitely get your chance to shine here!