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Career Advice: Theresa Spralling – Women of Color Should Avoid Making This Career Mistake

In this week’s installment of our Career Advice video series, Linda Bell, Head of Content at Fair360, spoke with Theresa Spralling, CEO Emeritus of the Women of AT&T National Organization and Associate Director Diversity, AT&T (a Hall of Fame company). Spralling shared her advice for aspiring women of color, the challenges of building high-performance teams and the key to keeping workplace fairness at the forefront.

Hall of Fame

AT&T


AT&T entered the Hall of Fame after ranking No. 1 on the Top 50 list in 2019. Across its global team of over 160,700 members, the company has fostered an inclusive culture that supports success for all. Its U.S. workforce in 2022 consisted of 31% women and 48.7% people of color.

John T. Stankey
John T. Stankey
CEO

“Our corporate value to stand for inclusion has never been more relevant. It is a business imperative to champion a sense of belonging in every aspect of our business. That’s why we are committed to ensuring that our workplace is inclusive and that we recruit, retain and advance people with a wide diversity of backgrounds and perspectives.”

Michelle Jordan, Chief Diversity Officer AT&T
Michelle Jordan
Chief Diversity Officer

“At AT&T, our purpose is to connect ALL people to greater possibility. We know that being truly inclusive is not just about telling people they are welcome, it’s about showing them they are valued because of who they are and all they bring. By cultivating an inclusive environment that celebrates our employees’ unique perspectives, backgrounds and abilities, we’re helping to drive innovation and meaningful impact inside and outside of our walls.”

From the Company

At AT&T, our purpose is to build a vibrant and sustainable business that connects ALL people to greater possibility. For over five decades, we have remained committed to building a supportive workplace where individuals of all backgrounds feel seen, heard and valued. From our frontline employees to our leadership teams, we recognize and embrace the undeniable truth that an inclusive work environment is not only the right thing to do, its also good for the business. At our core, we believe that inclusivity fuels creativity, drives innovation and strengthens our connection to the communities we serve.

AT&T fosters a culture of inclusivity across the following:

  • Employees: Within our global workforce of more than 160,700 employees, we’ve established a culture where everyone can succeed. In 2022, our U.S. workforce was 31% women and 48.7% people of color.
  • Communities: Connecting the unconnected in these communities and elsewhere is a priority for our business. From 2021 – 2023, we invested $2 billion to help expand access, affordability and adoption for more households and communities, helping connect 5 million people over 3 years. In 2024, we committed an additional $3 billion – scaling our total to $5B since 2021 – and set an ambitious goal to help 25 million people get and stay connected to affordable, high-speed internet access by 2030.
  • Customers: We are proud to serve our customers in more than 160 languages and connect with them in culturally relevant ways by providing products, services and experiences that celebrate and recognize diversity. · Suppliers: To drive diversity and inclusion across our Supply Chain, we spent $13.2 billion last year with diverse suppliers. Of that amount, $3.1 billion was spent with Black-owned suppliers.
  • Content: AT&T is proud to support stories and storytellers that bring a diversity of experiences and perspectives to life, and we are committed to fostering diversity in front of, and behind, the camera.