Montgomery County Women's History Archive:
40 Women of Historical Significance in Montgomery County
Barbara Krumsiek
Graduating Phi Beta Kappa with honors from Douglass College, Rutgers University, Barbara J. Krumsiek received a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics. She received a Master’s degree in mathematics from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, at New York University. In May 2002, Georgetown University awarded Krumsiek the Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa, citing her work in advancing the critical dialogue regarding the role of business in society. In May 2012, American University awarded her the Degree of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa.
Barbara J. Krumsiek is Chair, President and CEO of Calvert Investments, Inc. Calvert manages over $12 billion in assets for individual investors, retirement plans, pension funds, endowments and foundations, and high net worth investors. Krumsiek’s career in the investment business spans over three decades. Prior to becoming Calvert’s President and CEO in 1997, she served as Managing Director at Alliance Capital Management L.P. in New York City, and was responsible for $17 billion in the mutual fund and variable insurance product lines. During her tenure, Barbara has advanced Calvert’s position as a globally recognized leader in the field of sustainable and responsible investing. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the United Nations Environment Programme - Finance Initiative, a partnership between the United Nations Environment Programme and 200 financial institutions around the globe mandated to develop and promote the links between sustainability and financial performance.
As head of Calvert, she has successfully advocated on issues relating to the advancement of women in business. Under her leadership, the Calvert Women’s Principles were created in 2004, marking the first global code of corporate conduct focusing exclusively on empowering, advancing, and investing in women worldwide. The Principles have since become the basis for the Gender Equality Principles, an initiative of the City of San Francisco Department on the Status of Women, and the Women’s Empowerment Principles which is a collaborative effort between UNIFEM (now UN Women) and the UN Global Compact. For this work, in 2010, she received the CEDAW (Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women) Women’s Human Rights Award.
Krumsiek currently serves on several private and non-profit boards. She is a board member of Pepco Holdings, Inc., chair of the board of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, a trustee of the Federal City Council, and a board member of the Girl Scouts USA. She is a former chair of the Greater Washington Board of Trade. She has been cited often for her leadership and influence in business. She was named one of the “Influential Marylanders in 2010” by the Daily Record, inducted into the Washington Business Hall of Fame in 2009, and listed among the “100 Most Powerful Women in Washington” by Washingtonian magazine in 2011 and 2009. Within the investment industry, she was named among the “25 Most Influential People In and Around the Independent Advice Business” by Investment Advisor magazine in 2009 and among the “Top 50 Influential Women in Wealth Management” by Wealth Management Magazine in 2010.
