Month: July 2023

By Webster Bank

STAMFORD, Conn., July 10, 2023 /3BL Media/ — Webster Bank today announced its next Finance Lab collaborations with three partners that will provide financial empowerment programs to hundreds of students in low- to moderate-income (LMI) areas. The Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury Inc. and the YWCA Hartford Region, both in Connecticut, and Taunton Area School to Career (TASC) in Massachusetts have each been granted $100,000 from Webster Bank.

The Finance Labs are part of Webster’s $6.5B Community Investment Strategy and are designed to help nonprofit partners in LMI communities create opportunities for youth to gain skills needed for economic empowerment and financial success. The initiative launched in June 2022, and has committed $600,000 to date, with partnerships extended to six nonprofit organizations.

“It’s exciting to see the expansion of our Finance Labs initiative, furthering our goal to broaden financial empowerment opportunities for youth,” said Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer Marissa Weidner. She added, “We’re incredibly proud to be able to partner with three local organizations that are aligned with our shared values of integrity, collaboration, accountability, agility, respect and excellence.”

“Our innovative partnership to establish a Webster Finance Lab will provide our children a community-guided and life-altering opportunity to learn that future financial success starts today,” said Victor Lopez Jr., Executive Director of The Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury Inc. He added, “We thank Webster Bank for their continued commitment to placing the community first and leading efforts to genuinely be responsive to their needs.” The Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury is working with Webster to reach its goal of delivering programming to support its clients with financial education on topics including financing small businesses, how to manage a bank account, and how to increase credit scores.

“We are grateful to be selected as Webster Bank’s Finance Lab Partner,” said Adrienne Cochrane, CEO of YWCA Hartford Region. She added, “The Webster Bank/YWCA Hartford Region partnership allows us to expand our financial empowerment programs to help address economic inequities experienced by women and girls in our community.

This Finance Lab will emphasize the importance of financial management, as well as saving and investing money.” The YWCA Hartford Region, will create its program to specifically support its goal to empower women on their path to achieve job and career goals. The YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all its community members.

“We, at Associates for Human Services’ Taunton Area School To Career (TASC), want to extend our deepest appreciation to Webster Bank for providing us with this invaluable grant award. This support will empower TASC to expand and strengthen our services by lifting the lives of our youth,” said Zulmira Allcock, President and CEO of TASC, adding, “Together, we create a brighter future, which enables us to make a positive and lasting impact in our community, one young life at a time.” Taunton Area School To Career (TASC) is a subsidiary of Associates for Human Services, Inc. and runs their Business and Education Partnership, connecting Taunton-area employers and local school systems. Each year, TASC’s programs serve 350-550 youth focusing on the emerging workforce.

Learn more about Webster Bank’s Finance Labs and the impact of our work and about our Office of Corporate Responsibility.

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About Webster

Webster Bank (“Webster”) is a leading commercial bank in the Northeast that provides a wide range of digital and traditional financial solutions across three differentiated lines of business: Commercial Banking, Consumer Banking and its HSA Bank division, one of the country’s largest providers of employee benefits solutions. Headquartered in Stamford, CT, Webster is a values-driven organization with $75 billion in assets. Its core footprint spans the northeastern U.S. from New York to Massachusetts, with certain businesses operating in extended geographies. Webster Bank is a member of the FDIC and an equal housing lender. For more information about Webster, including our latest annual report, please visit our About page. To find our latest press releases, visit the Webster Newsroom.

Contact Information

Media Contact:
Elaine K. Ficarra
eficarra@websterbank.com
203.913.2716

Investor Contact:
Emlen Harmon
harmon@websterbank.com
212.309.7646

In early 2023, Chemours named Amber Wellman, Ph.D., as Chief Sustainability Officer with brings 15 years of experience innovating in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. She has been with Chemours since its founding in 2015, where she most recently led sustainability for the Advanced Performance Materials segment. Read more from Amber and Chemours’ sustainability progress in their latest Sustainability Report.

What inspired you to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry? 

I’ve always been curious—wanting to know how things worked. I wanted my first microscope set as early as I can remember. Growing up in rural Virginia, I did not have many role models in advanced STEM education, but I was blessed with encouraging parents and teachers. My high school chemistry teacher inspired me to pursue chemistry, and I began to realize the role that chemistry played in everything around me and how it could be used to answer questions and solve problems. I benefited from professors and advisors who kept me going and growing from there.

What does sustainability mean to you? 

When I think about what makes this personal to me, it’s simple. I want to leave the world a better place, for my son and all future generations, and I know that means there will have to be meaningful collaboration among business, governments, and communities to find solutions to the challenges we face. It will take courage, and it will take chemistry! We can, and should, all be sustainability leaders!

How does Chemours remain committed to making chemistry as responsible as it is essential? 

We put science first, and we’re driven by our commitment to responsible manufacturing. To us, that means setting ambitious corporate responsibility goals and applying investment, creativity, and energy to achieve them. Our products are essential components in everything from electrified transport and smartphones to medical devices and clean energy technologies, and we are very mindful of the manufacturing process and end-of-life management. Chemistry is the foundation of the world. Responsibility is the foundation of our chemistry.

What current project excites you most? 

It is so hard to pick just one, but I’m really excited about our involvement in the ARCH2. The ARCH2 brings together producers, end-users, technology experts, and the necessary infrastructure to advance the production, use, and delivery of hydrogen energy in Appalachia. As the United States continues to transition toward cleaner energy sources, clean hydrogen energy can be a real game-changer.

How is sustainability embedded across the Chemours organization? 

I think about sustainability as creating harmony between economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection. It’s about meeting the needs of today without compromising the future. It’s about resilience! While we are very proud of our Corporate Responsibility Commitment (CRC) goals, we recognize that our responsibility to all stakeholders goes well beyond those specific goals, and our commitment to sustainability cannot be separated from our growth strategy or our vision. In reality, our Chemours vision is a sustainability vision. We are committed to creating a better world through the power of our chemistry—and doing that—together. That is why this year in our Sustainability Report, we are aligning our focus and actions to the four key areas that support our Chemours vision: Innovation and Sustainable Solutions, Environmental Leadership, Community Impact and Greatest Place to Work for All.

How is Chemours helping to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges? 

As a female scientist, it begins with diversity of thought and fostering a more inclusive and diverse workforce to discover the next game-changing innovations. How can we expect to solve the world’s most pressing problems doing the same things we have always done? From decarbonizing our economy to preserving our natural resources, Chemours will not be able to address these challenges without sustainable innovation and transformative partnerships. Together, we all have an important role to play.

Chemours continues to build on its progress and make a meaningful impact on the planet and communities in which we operate. That information is detailed in the recently published 2022 Chemours Sustainability which is available here.