It’s been only a few short months since Ara Tucker moved from Morgan Lewis to Morgan Stanley, where she is head of communications and operations for the diversity and inclusion team.
While at the firm, Ara worked closely with former Firm Chair Fran Milone, the co-chairs of the Diversity Committee—Grace Speights, managing partner of the Washington, D.C., office and deputy practice group leader for the Labor and Employment Practice, and Larry Turner, a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice, and other members of firm management—to advance the firm’s diversity and inclusion efforts. In her role, Ara also collaborated regularly with Grace, Larry, and firm clients on diversity and inclusion strategic planning. Morgan Stanley was so impressed with Ara’s work that they invited her to join their team.
“Like at Morgan Lewis, at Morgan Stanley there is a strong commitment to diversity starting at the top. We’ve moved from mission statements to an increased tactical focus on manager engagement, encouraging employees to build relationships across the organization and continuing to provide professional development and advancement opportunities for people that will help maximize their contributions,” said Ara.
Morgan Stanley believes diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the company’s role as a global leader striving for excellence, she said. “I work with colleagues not only in the United States, but also in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Our efforts are coordinated and aligned with the firm’s talent management objectives and take local considerations into account. We do not just check the box on these issues. Diversity isn’t a one-size- fits- all proposition,” she said.
The law wasn’t Ara’s first career choice. She was an art history and visual arts major at Princeton University who also took a number of creative writing courses. “Ultimately, I decided to go to law school because I appreciated the broad set of opportunities that a law degree could provide. My legal education and training as a corporate associate have served me well throughout my career, including at Princeton University when I worked in the offices of the provost and the executive vice president. Organization, intellectual curiosity, and a client service orientation are always important.”
Ara was a summer associate at Morgan Lewis while attending New York University School of Law. She chose Morgan Lewis over another firm for a number of reasons, including her experiences working with her mentor, Business and Finance partner Steve Goodman. “Steve was an amazing role model – both from a client service and work-life integration perspective. I found it refreshing that he was an active jazz pianist while maintaining a busy legal practice. When I came back to the firm as the director of diversity, Steve continued to offer his encouragement, which I appreciated.”
Writing remains one of Ara’s passions. In addition to publishing diversity and inclusion thought leadership pieces, she has kept up her creative writing. A three-time attendee of the prestigious Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, she has recently completed two novels. One is a coming-of-age story, and the other is about a 21st century modern family. She is seeking an agent to help identify potential publishers for her novels, which have the catchy titles How to Date a Black Girl and How to Raise a Black, Blonde Vampire Girl.
During her time at the firm, Ara developed a reputation as a connoisseur of French fries. When asked about this, she said with a laugh, “Yes, I’m always on the hunt for the best French fries. McDonald’s is still my favorite. The old standby never disappoints.”
Ara is happy to report that she is recently engaged and will be married next year in the Princeton University chapel.
