When Ellen Cooper, FOX ’85, arrived on Temple University’s campus on Friday, April 4, it all started to come back to her. The first female CEO in the 120-year history of Lincoln Financial, Cooper’s accomplishments speak for themselves, but she knows they would not have been possible if not for Temple.
“I’ll tell you, as I walked around today, I got a little emotional because this is where it all started for me. Temple University is a very special place,” Cooper said last week while addressing several hundred attendees during a keynote conversation with Temple President John Fry.
The conversation, which was held during the morning of April 4, was part of Innovation with Impact, a series of events designed to celebrate the university’s global contributions through scholarship, research, creative works and service. The series was part of a weeklong celebration that led up to the investiture ceremony of Fry as the university’s 15th president.
Throughout the 45-minute conversation, Cooper and Fry discussed a variety of topics. They touched on how each of their organizations is committed to community service and civic engagement. Cooper also shared a deep appreciation for the significant impact that Temple has had on both her life and career.
While she has broken multiple glass ceilings as she has risen in her profession, Cooper came from humble beginnings. At Temple, she helped pay her way through school by working at a food truck. And, while she now leads the most consequential financial services company in the region, it was never her original intention to study finance.
“I started as a dance major,” Cooper recalled. “Now, being a dance major is wonderful. The problem for me is that I wasn’t very good.”
Cooper explained that former Fox School of Business faculty member Bonnie Averbach helped familiarize her with Actuarial Science, which ultimately became Cooper’s major. And Averbach became a trusted mentor throughout her studies at Temple. For a time, Cooper was also the only woman undergraduate enrolled in the Actuarial Science program.
As the conversation continued, President Fry asked Cooper to share career advice and touch on what she looks for as an employer. In doing so, she recalled an anecdote related to another mentor, who provided Cooper with a piece of resonant advice early in her career.
“I had a mentor say to me, ‘Your boss knows what you do 80% of the time, but 20% of the time, you get to decide. So, do you want to go hangout with your friends, or do you want to learn something new?’”
That approach has served Cooper well, as she has continued to grow professionally, moving up the ranks all the way to her current role of chairman, president and CEO. She encouraged attendees to follow that approach and take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself.
In closing, she again expressed a deep love for her alma mater, which is further evidenced by the large footprint that Temple alumni occupy within the Lincoln Financial workforce.
“I believe we have more Temple alums (employed) at Lincoln than we have from any other university. We have over 10,000 employees, so keep them coming. We have already hired 14 that are going to start after the May graduation” Cooper said. “(A stronger Temple) will raise all of us. It will raise North Philly. It will raise this entire city.”