Spotlight: Q&A with Armanino Foundation’s Executive Director Mary E. Tressel

Mary Tressel is Executive Director of the Armanino Foundation and Practice Leader of Armanino’s ESG Services. Armanino is the only Certified B Corporation among the nation’s Top 25 accounting and business consulting firms. For more information, visit armaninollp.com.

Q: Tell us a bit about Armanino.

Armanino is an accounting and business consulting firm and we deliver a depth of knowledge, range of services, and a consistent and responsive team to support our clients. We hold our people as our most highly valued resource. From our founders’ commitment over fifty years ago to helping every team member to realize their dreams, we have always grasped that our people are the heart and soul of our business. We reinforce that daily by living out our purpose of being the most innovative and entrepreneurial firm that makes a positive impact on the lives of our clients, our people, and our communities.

Q: What inspired Armanino to partner with Chicago:Blend?

We share in Chicago:Blend’s mission to create a more equitable, inclusive, and diverse startup community in this city. In addition to recently expanding our Chicago footprint, including opening an office in the Loop, we are committed to helping underrepresented founders achieve their full potential and access the tools and resources they need to raise capital, grow, and thrive.

Q: What does diversity, equity, and inclusion mean to Armanino and how have you put that into practice?

In 2019, our CEO Matt Armanino signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion Pledge. He believes our differences make us stronger, smarter and more innovative. Encouraged by his stance, our General Counsel Sarah Harris raised her hand to create the firm’s IDEAL (Inclusion of Diverse Employees and Leaders) Team. Working with Armanino’s Chief People Officer Carol Ann Nash, Sarah co-leads this group to create actionable policies and programs that include open and honest dialogue to address disparities within our workforce.

To help put our pledge into action, the Armanino’s Operating Committee elected to pursue B Corporation status.  We underwent a rigorous assessment to ensure Armanino meets the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability. We believe our approach to creating an equitable and inclusive workplace, empowering our staff, promoting team members from within our firm, and offering life skills training and professional development programs are best practices that can be replicated in any organization.

Following the killing of George Floyd and renewed calls for racial equity over the past year, Matt Armanino wrote an open letter to our team and our clients, outlining how Armanino would use our voice as a firm to address systemic inequality. Our IDEAL Team moderated a series of Community Conversations where several Armanino team members spoke honestly about what was happening, which opened a pathway that has led us to recognize opportunities for improvement. Currently, Matt Armanino, the IDEAL Team and other empowered team members are developing an action plan for social justice, a roadmap for the future of the firm.

Q: What’s next for Armanino?

As we open our downtown office in Chicago in September, our local leaders Sam Kashy and Lindy Antonelli are excited about deepening our work with Chicago:Blend and welcomes the opportunity to exchange ideas and best practices with others in Chicago’s tech ecosystem. We are all part of the ongoing journey towards a more diverse, equitable and inclusive world. We look forward to contributing our energy and experiences while learning from others as we move forward.