Why Women Are Exiting Executive Pathways

Sally Amoruso serves as Chief Partner Officer and as the voice of EAB’s partners on the executive committee. Internally, she is the senior-most executive ultimately responsible for EAB partners’ experience. Externally, Sally serves as a strategic thought-partner and trusted advisor to hundreds of university presidents, provosts, leadership teams and boards, providing guidance on institutional strategy, transformational leadership and change management.

Since 2018, Sally has hosted EAB’s Presidential Experience Labs, a signature event that immerses presidents in out-of-sector companies driving dramatic change (e.g. LinkedIn, Slack, Google and Open AI). In 2020, she founded EAB’s New Presidents Intensive which has supported 200+ presidents as they have transitioned into office. She also oversees EAB Consulting which provides intensive, hands-on support in areas such as strategic planning, strategic enrollment management, student communications and more. She is a frequent host of EAB’s Office Hours podcast and leads EAB’s Industry Insights Speaker Series, bringing thought leaders to EAB for open discussion, debate and idea-sharing. She is also a nationally sought-after speaker and facilitator.

Since 2023, Sally has served as a proud trustee on the board of American University, a private R1 research institution located in the nation’s capital. Prior to EAB, Sally spent 20+ years as a client-focused C-suite executive at The Advisory Board Company, the Corporate Executive Board and several health care start-ups. She received her AB in East Asian Studies from Harvard University, her MA in international studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and her MBA from the Wharton Graduate School of Business.

Sally is a first-generation Asian American and proud parent of two creative musician-actors launching their careers in Los Angeles. In her spare time, she can be found practicing yoga, hiking in the Hollywood Hills, and travelling the globe.

Subha V. Barry is a C-suite leader and an advisor who brings a unique perspective on the alignment of corporate culture to talent strategy and business results. As a transformational change agent, she has a proven record of identifying and accelerating new business creation, driving sales, and increasing profitability.

Subha is president of Seramount where she drives the firm’s vision, strategy, and business development. Subha joined Working Mother Media (WMM) in 2015 and during her tenure she dramatically improved margins, expanded its portfolio through growth in high-value consulting and learning and development, exponentially grew their client roster, and recruited talented executive leaders to amplify subject matter and functional expertise. In 2021, Subha oversaw the brand’s transformation from WMM to Seramount, a leading strategic professional services and research firm dedicated to building high-performing, inclusive workplaces. Today, Seramount works with 450+ organizations globally, including half of the Fortune 500, to help our partners navigate today’s talent and DEI landscape.

Previously, Subha was senior vice president and chief diversity officer at Freddie Mac, where she served on the firm’s management committee and led their foundation. Prior to her time at Freddie Mac, Subha spent 20+ years at Merrill Lynch as managing director and their first global head of diversity & inclusion where she built their D&I strategy, infrastructure and execution plans from the ground up. She also created a highly successful Multicultural Business Development Group to focus their wealth management business on diverse and multicultural communities bringing in over $8 billion in new assets and $50+ million in annual revenues in just three years. She began her career at the firm as a financial advisor where she was a top 100 advisor among 16,000 in the firm.

Subha is a former adjunct professor at Columbia University’s SIPA, and currently serves on the Boards of SHRM Foundation, Rice 360, Rutgers Cancer Center and the Rutgers Institute of Women’s Leadership. She is also a Board Advisor at PE-owned Snowden Lane Partners. In the past, Subha has served on a variety of Boards as Board Chair, Head of Nominating & Governance, Finance, and HR and DEI Committees.
A native of India, Subha holds a BA from Bombay University and an MBA and MS in Accounting from Rice University. She enjoys golfing, reading poetry and rallying for social change. She has two grown children and lives in Naples, Florida and New Hope, PA with her husband.

As a talent insights expert, Stephanie guides the firm’s thought leadership by leading research on workforce risk, the future of work, and organizational performance. Her work brings together strategic vision, a commitment to inclusion, and a keen understanding of how storytelling can drive organizational change.

Before joining Seramount, Stephanie spent more than a decade in higher education, most recently as an Associate Professor of English and Gender Studies at Carnegie Mellon University. There, she directed the undergraduate studies program, led DEI initiatives, mentored students, and taught courses in feminist and disability studies. She is the author of two award-winning books on sexual violence and has published widely on organizational equity, gender, and labor. Stephanie holds a BA in English Education from the University of Illinois and an MA in English Literature and a PhD in Writing & Rhetoric from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Stephanie lives in Madison, WI, with her husband and two children. Outside of work, she can be found hiking through the woods, planning her family’s next road trip adventure, or reading her latest book-club pick.