Below is an article originally written by PowerToFly Partner T. Rowe Price, and published on April 20, 2018. Go to T. Rowe Price's page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.
"What helped me come out at work was the people I'm surrounded by. From my friends to my manager to coworkers, everyone has been so supportive and loving. It made me feel like I wasn't just another number, but I'm a full person and a good employee who happens to be married to a woman—and that everything in that sentence is fine."
- Danni Davis, Digital Platform Manager
When Danni Davis, corporate digital platform manager, experienced a life-threatening medical emergency three months into her career at T. Rowe Price, she got an early glimpse of the support she could expect at the firm. Although she was a contractor, out of the office for eight weeks, and her work was piling up, her manager held the job for her return. "[She] even asked her coworkers to give me work I could do at home to earn money," Davis recalls.
Fast-forward 13 years and Davis is now launching a publishing arm for corporate marketing efforts. "We've partnered with content creators, built a content strategy, and are ready to bring the model to life," she says. "One of my passions is storytelling," says Davis, who enjoys blogging and recently embarked on writing a book. "Being able to incorporate my passion into my gig has brought new excitement to my role."
As Davis collaborates to launch the new site, she's consistently impressed by T. Rowe Price's collaborative work culture. "At another consulting firm, the environment was cutthroat," she explains. "All of the analysts wanted to be promoted, so collaboration was nonexistent, and we were encouraged to be individual performers instead of a team." Believing there was a better way to work, she and a coworker decided to work on a project together after hours. "It was clear that our collective output was of a higher quality than any one person's work," says Davis. "T. Rowe Price's culture is based on that very premise, that additional perspectives lead to more learning, which equals a higher chance of success."
Also, when you value perspective, that means you recognize the richness inherent in diversity. Three years ago, Davis experienced just that when she attended the kick-off for PRIDE @ T. Rowe Price at the Owings Mills campus in Maryland. "I had recently come out as a lesbian to friends, but I was still not 100% comfortable being 'out' at work," she says. During a panel presentation, Davis stood to ask a question but didn't realize she was also announcing she was a lesbian. "All of a sudden, the packed room erupted in cheers. I never felt so welcomed and free as I felt that day," Davis says. "Now I come to work every day as my confident, authentic self. The environment and the people at T. Rowe Price helped me get there."
