Fifth Third Bank: Celebrating Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day

March is Women’s History Month, a time to recognize the contributions women have made to our country. Aligned with that is International Women’s Day, commemorated March 8, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

This year, Fifth Third Bank’s Cincinnati Women’s Business Resource Group planned the Women’s Enterprise BRG event commemorating International Women’s Day. The virtual event was for all employees – regardless of gender.

“For the event, we adopted the official theme for 2024: Inspire Inclusion,” said Sierra Whittemore, compensation analyst and project manager of the International Women’s Day celebration. “We want to explore what inclusion means to all of us and how we can foster an environment of inclusion together.”

Melissa Stevens, chief marketing officer, will kick off the event. Participants will hear from special keynote speakers and a panel of Bank leaders. Those in Cincinnati – both downtown and in Madisonville – will have the opportunity to participate in an in-person volunteer event and network with members.

This year, the project team worked to continue to enhance the event to make the event more inclusive, especially for Operations employees who often have challenges participating because of time away from their jobs or proximity to the location.

“We’re including an event on the Madisonville campus and condensing the time of the event so that more employees could schedule time to attend,” said Katie Hausfeld, service optimization manager and co-chair of the Madisonville campus International Women’s Day event. “We’re also aligning some of the panel discussion to what connects with the groups in Operations, no matter where they’re located. I’m excited that we continue to grow and evolve the experience for everyone.”

Across our footprint, our Women’s BRGs are hosting events to commemorate the month and the day. In Tennessee, the Women’s BRG is focusing on volunteering to support women in the community.

“There are some amazing organizations helping women in need in our city, and we want to support them,” said Brittany Dillard, de novo financial center manager and co-chair of the Tennessee Women’s BRG.

Brittany, Katie and Sierra shared their advice to help employees get the most out of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month:

• “My heart is always full during Women’s History Month. I advocate for women knowing how amazing they are and how much they bring to their sphere of influence – I encourage everyone to join me in doing the same!” 
  – Brittany Dillard, de novo financial center manager
• “Women’s History Month is a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with historic moments that impacted women’s lives. International Women’s Day is an additional reminder to celebrate women and their impact. I have two daughters and know that there is so much to learn, share and celebrate with them, so I like to read books that are inspiring to me as a woman – such as ‘How Women Rise’ by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith.” 
  – Katie Hausfeld, service optimization manager
• “Women’s History Month is all about lifting people up, so try to bring light to powerful, inspiring women – whether it’s women in your life, in history or in society. Remember that everyone has their own unique story that makes them valuable. Do something – no matter how small – to make women feel respected and appreciated. Each day in March, I post on social media about a woman and her accomplishments. They could be educators, scientists, celebrities or more from past or present, but I try to find an interesting fact about how they’ve made a difference in the world. On International Women’s Day, I post about the impactful women in my own life to thank them for being part of my life.” 
  – Sierra Whittemore, compensation analyst