Panel discussion for Black History Month

From left: Tameeka Cribs, vice president, digital banking, member of the Diversity and Inclusion Council at Webster; John Guy; Jonathan Roberts; and Desiree Wolfe.

As Black History Month was drawing to a close, on Feb. 27 more than 70 employees of Waterbury-based Webster Bank gathered for a career panel discussion with senior executives who shared insights on their career and life experiences with a focus on diversity in the workplace.

“The Power Lunch” included speakers John Guy, executive vice president, director of business banking; Jonathan Roberts, executive vice president, consumer deposits and network management; and Desiree Wolfe, senior vice president, product marketing. The event was sponsored by the bank”™s Diversity and Inclusion Council, which is co-chaired by John Ciulla, president and CEO of the bank and John Guy.

Black History Month, now sometimes referred to as African-American History Month, had its inception in 1969 at Kent State University in Ohio. Leaders of the group Black United Students proposed expanding Negro History Week into a month-long celebration. Black History Month began to be recognized locally in the U.S., and in 1976 President Gerald Ford issued a message calling for it to be observed nationally. Ford urged Americans to honor the many African-Americans and their accomplishments.