A 1996 Seymour High School graduate is among 21 women recently recognized as a 2020 Working Mother of the Year.
Jessica Combs Harrison, who was born and raised in Seymour and now lives in Kentfield, California, is the North America head of human resources for Protiviti, a global consulting firm that provides clients with consulting and managed solutions in finance, technology, operations, data, analytics, governance, risk and internal audit through its network of more than 85 offices in more than 25 countries.
The Working Mothers of the Year were nominated by their employers, which have been named a Working Mother 100 Best Company.
They shared their powerful stories in their own words, proving that working moms can overcome and achieve anything when they have supportive employers, colleagues, family and friends.
Harrison said she can’t share her story of being a working mother of two very busy boys, Lachlan, 8, and Lleyton, 5, without also sharing the loss of her daughter, Adeline, at 40 weeks gestation.
“Mothering my boys while also grieving my daughter has given me perspective into the many varied trials faced by working parents,” she said. “I am in a unique position as Protiviti’s North America head of human resources to listen to the stories of our people and create programs that allow them to be successful in both their professional and personal lives.”
Outside work, she serves on the board of the local swim team, cheers on her sons’ soccer teams or mountain bikes with her husband, Michael Harrison, and oldest son.
“As a tribute to my daughter, I also volunteer as a facilitator with HAND of the Bay Area, an organization focused on supporting parents who have experienced infant death,” Harrison said.
To read about Harrison and the other honorees, visit workingmother.com/wmoty2020.
Harrison’s employer also was named by Working Mother magazine as one of its 2020 100 Best Companies and as one of the 2020 Best Companies for Working Dads.
This is the third year Protiviti has made the 100 Best Companies list, which recognizes organizations representing more than 2 million employees in the United States that are committed to women’s advancement, diversity and inclusion and a family-friendly workplace culture.
The Best Companies for Working Dads list highlights companies that offer gender-neutral or paternity leave, taking into account actual time taken by working fathers for the birth or adoption of a child.
Protiviti offers a wide range of benefits for its working parents, including up to 10 weeks of paid gender-neutral leave for the birth or adoption of a child; an adoption assistance program; back-up child care; employee networking groups for women and new parents; a lactation support service and breast milk shipment program; and a flexible work schedule to accommodate individual circumstances.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Protiviti has enhanced its dependent care program to cover crisis care and provides a wide range of resources to help parents currently working from home, including additional flexibility in work scheduling and extra paid time off to care for family members affected by COVID-19. It’s also available to employees who are not parents.
2020 winners of the 100 Best Companies and Best Companies for Working Dads accolades will be recognized in the October/November edition of Working Mother magazine and celebrated during two virtual conferences taking place this month.
Harrison and Working Dad of the Year Jose Behar, both of whom work for Protiviti, also will be recognized at these events for their leadership and advocacy for working parents within the firm.
On the Web
To view information on all of the honorees, visit workingmother.com/wmoty2020.