INROADS News

Maria R. Morris Named the First Woman Chair of INROADS Inc.

Dec 27, 2010

Maria R. Morris has been selected as the first woman to serve as chair of the board of directors for INROADS Inc., the organization that connects the nation's brightest students of color with the world's best companies. She succeeds Tom Dolan whose term on the board expired in September. Dolan will remain on the board as Chair Emeritus.

"Maria has played an integral role on our board to move INROADS forward," said Dolan. "She has served the organization in many critical capacities and I look forward to her leadership as we continue to work with her in building an even stronger organization."

In her career at MetLife, Inc., Maria has successfully led and transformed large organizations to grow businesses, streamline operations and expand profitability to deliver long-term shareholder value. She currently leads MetLife's global Technology & Operations organization where she is accountable for a $2 billion IT portfolio and oversees 10,000 associates and consultants. Over the last 24 months – through a focus on operational efficiency – her organization has delivered a 60 basis point improvement in MetLife's expense ratio.

Under Morris' stewardship, Technology & Operations has been a strong contributor to MetLife's Operational Excellence initiative and has increased capacity and operational capabilities for the enterprise. Her organization is responsible for managing the integration of the Alico acquisition – including governance, program management, the replatforming of technology applications and infrastructure and expense synergies.

Prior to this role, Maria held several senior leadership roles with increasing responsibility in distribution, product development and management, operations and technology at MetLife. From 1997 to 2005, Maria successfully led MetLife's Dental and Disability businesses to deliver strong revenue and earnings growth. From 2005 to 2008, Maria led MetLife's corporate employee benefits and retirement sales organization which delivered $16 billion in revenue with record sales in most market segments.

"It is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead with such a distinguished group of individuals who passionately serve the mission of INROADS," said Maria Morris. "My priority is to ensure that INROADS transitions into its next phase of developing and placing the leaders of tomorrow and fulfilling the needs of our corporate sponsors."

Morris has served on the INROADS Board of Directors since 2007. Morris is a selected member of the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers. In 2005, she was recognized by Profiles in Diversity Journal magazine as one of a number of "Women to Watch." She serves on several boards for MetLife, including MetLife Group, Inc., MetLife Global Operations Support Center Private Limited, Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company, MetLife Securities, Inc. and the MetLife Foundation. Her non-profit board involvement also includes the All Stars Project, Inc., an organization that focuses on developing young people.