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MIL Celebrates Women’s History Month:

Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

March is Women’s History Month—a time to celebrate the contributions women have made to
history, culture, and society. To observe Women’s History Month this year, we stopped to reflect
on the many challenges working women, past and present, face every day to gain acceptance
and equal treatment in the workplace. To ensure that today’s women can enjoy the same status,
standing, and success as men, women of past generations encountered and overcame untold
barriers. For that, we salute them and honor their sacrifices and persistence, and work to carry
on their noble pursuit of parity for all.
At MIL, our goal is to ensure that the career paths for all employees are free of barriers to
success irrespective of gender identity. We nonetheless acknowledge that women may still
encounter various obstacles in their professional lives. MIL supports women and fosters a
fair and equitable workplace. Examples include allowing flexible work options, facilitating
mentorships for junior staff, and encouraging work-life balance to help women, particularly
working moms, advance in their careers.

One way we ensure this goal is achievable, especially for our youngest female employees, is by learning from the high-achieving
women in our own workforce—women who have already broken through barriers and overcome the obstacles that stood in
their way. Join us this month as we embrace this year’s theme of “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion,”
and get to know a few of the dynamic women of MIL as we lean into the wisdom and life experiences of four of our outstanding
female leaders from the fields of engineering, communications, finance, and executive management.

Marisa Daley, President

Marisa Daley, MIL’s first female President and COO, knows the value of DEI (diversity, equity,
and inclusion) since those principles in action—not just in words—are integral to the success
of every female executive’s journey. To thrive, what women need most is equal opportunity, not
special consideration. Marisa notes that after working and struggling a bit within a patriarchal
culture, “I understand the barriers women experience in traditionally male dominated
industries. My own personal story has definitely informed my desire to help other women
professionals excel and to not allow themselves to be handicapped by perceived or even real
obstacles to success.”

The beneficiary herself of mentoring from a strong female role model, in her case from Diane Aikens her lacrosse coach at
Loyola College, Marisa appreciates the power of women in leadership, especially to a young woman seeking her own space in
the workplace. “I have mentored multiple female leaders throughout my career and encouraged them to strive. I also hope that
I’ve inspired them with my own path to setting and achieving goals. My advice is usually pretty straightforward: believe in your
own value and work to the level you are comfortable with; there really isn’t a right or wrong approach or outcome.” Adding,
“As women, we recognize that every individual’s path is different. Some women may opt to take significant leadership positions
while others may be more comfortable with less demanding roles to have more time for family. If you truly want to be a great
leader, you have to believe in and be true to yourself. Your authenticity will drive your relationships, your ability to lead, and the
belief others have in you.”
On her own personal journey, Marisa acknowledges that self-belief and confidence is not only innate, but a skill that can be
developed. “I started my career on Wall Street in an extremely male-dominated environment. To compete, I thought I had to
adapt my style of dress and adopt a more masculine behavior to fit in. To stand out less, I thought I needed to blend in more.
In short, be more “male.” After years of adapting and adopting to create a persona that wasn’t truly authentic, I came to realize
that I shouldn’t need to be other than who I am, and that I’m enough just as I am. I now believe that if you work diligently and
produce exceptional results, you cannot and will not be denied.” Concluding, “I think the most significant barrier in my career
was man-made—or more accurately woman made—as I thought as a woman I had to act differently to compete and succeed. In
truth, I really just needed to believe more in my own abilities and execute accordingly, and then let my performance be judged
on its merits.”
Marisa now focuses a sizable portion of her time and talent on strengthening MIL’s business development capability and in
cultivating cross-collaboration among teams. Her leadership approach at MIL is fueled by a firm commitment to DEI as she
champions initiatives to strengthen and enrich the corporate culture. These efforts have encouraged a free-flowing exchange of
ideas among her colleagues and a freedom to innovative that has helped to surface many creative ideas.

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