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Vol. 1: Issue 30 — 2022
A 360˚ view of CRA news & announcements
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John Jenkins Award Call for Nominations | |
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In 2001, CRA established an annual employee award in memory of John Jenkins, who was a victim of the September 11th attacks. Over the past 21 years, this Award has grown to symbolize and embody the values that John demonstrated during his time at CRA–strong corporate citizenship, a positive attitude and can-do spirit, and a desire to contribute to the overall good of the company.
Nominations will be accepted until September 30. All colleagues are eligible for submission. To submit a nomination, please click on the link here. You will be asked to provide a brief paragraph describing the contributions of the individual you are nominating. Honorees will be recognized at our All Employee Meeting this fall.
You can see the list of past honorees–more than 30 of whom are still part of the fabric of CRA–on our intranet here. Thank you for taking time to help me recognize the special people we have throughout this organization.
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The Mind in Your Body Series
Join us in a three-part webinar series, entitled, The Mind in Your Body, led by Yvonne Castaneda of SoulFuerza. During these presentations, you will learn of the parallels between physical and mental health, and the importance of creating a mental fitness regime for optimal and sustainable mental health.
Each session is focused on ways to incorporate exercises for the mind into a daily routine, and more importantly, how to use increased self-awareness to improve emotional stability, mobility, and flexibility in personal and work-related relationships.
While we hope you can attend the entire series, each session is a stand-alone event.
To add these sessions to your calendar, please click on each date and choose the add to my calendar option. Contact Wellness@crai.com with any questions.
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Eye Exams (Boston Only)
We’ve partnered again with 20/20 Onsite to take the hassle out of going to the optometrist. No more commuting to the doctor, sitting in waiting rooms, or using precious PTO for appointments.
On Wednesday, September 21 from 8:00 - 4:00 PM EST, the mobile vison clinic will be parked outside the Boston Office. Spots are on a first come, first serve basis, so book yours today!
Please contact Wellness@crai.com with any questions.
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Volunteer: Junior Achievement
In October, we'll be kicking off a firm-wide volunteer initiative mentoring with Junior Achievement, a global nonprofit that inspires and prepares young people for success—and we need your support!
Join us on September 21 at 3:30 PM EST for an All-Team Member information session to learn more about this month-long initiative and how you can make a difference
Invites for the information session will follow.
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Masterclass with SEO London
As part of our All Access Initiative, we’re excited to announce a new partnership between CRA and Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO London), a nonprofit that provides educational, training and mentoring support to young people—particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In order to diversify the talent pipeline in our industry, firms like ours have to rethink how we identify, attract, and retain our team members. Our partnership with SEO London is an important step in that direction.
To kick off this partnership, we will be hosting a Masterclass presentation on Friday, September 30 from 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM EST.
This masterclass will provide students with insight into the specificities of CRA, what their career trajectory may look like, and what makes the culture of CRA unique.
To support this Masterclass (and other DE&I events) as a panelist, please contact Raquel Tamez.
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Infographic: Hispanic Heritage Month 2022
Observed annually in the U.S. from September 15 – October 15, Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) celebrates the enormous contribution Hispanics have made to U.S. history and culture. The 2022 HHM theme is “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation.”
Learn more about HMM in this infographic, and stay tuned for upcoming HHM events at CRA!
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AEASP Spotlight
CRA was honored to participate as an experiential learning partner in Howard University’s American Economic Association Summer Program. As part of AEASP, we had the wonderful opportunity to work closely with Omari Swinton, who has served as program director for the past three years.
Prior to becoming a teaching assistant (and then professor for the program’s experiential learning classes), Omari was a student in the program. Now, he’s passing his knowledge and experience on to the next generation of learners.
“This was the first in-person year for AEASP at Howard and it lead to amazing interactions,” he says. “Charles River Associates provided excellent guidance to their scholar, Shannan Burton—as well as a dynamic experience.”
As the chair of the Howard University’s Economics department and the former president of the National Economic Association, Omari is a wealth of information for AEASP scholars. As we prepare for our next set of scholars next summer, we look forward to working with him again—and empowering even more students to achieve their full potential.
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Important DE&I Dates
CRA has a long-term focus on strengthening our diverse and inclusive culture. We're committed to keeping our team updated on upcoming DE&I dates and observances. Here's what's forthcoming:
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Hispanic Heritage Month: September 15 - October 15
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International Day of Peace: September 21
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National Native American Day: September 23
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Mariam Saifullah
Meet Mariam Saifullah, a Senior Associate for Marakon who is based in London. Miriam looks forward to meeting new colleagues and working in a new geography.
Fun Fact: Mariam has lived in all major regions of the US (West/East coasts, South, and the Midwest).
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Darren (James) Windham
Meet Darren (James) Windham, a Principal in the Forensic Services Practice who is based in Dallas. Darren looks forward to the challenge of starting up the Dallas office while getting to meet new colleagues.
Fun Fact: Darren has been an extra in a TV commercial and a movie.
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Federico Navarra
Meet Federico Navarra, an Intern in the Competition Practice who is based in Brussels. Federico looks forward to learning and working alongside experienced colleagues.
Fun Fact: Federico established two craft beer brands and manages their production and distribution in Italy.
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Emily Schmid
Meet Emily Schmid, an Analyst in for in the Life Sciences Practice who is based in Munich. Emily looks forward to working with colleagues she met during her internship.
Fun Fact: Emily spent 10 years performing in a traditional Bavarian dance group.
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Mariia Bondar
Meet Mariia Bondar, a Senior Associate in the Competition Practice who is based in Munich. Mariia looks forward to switching from academic to a more practice-oriented team-based work.
Fun Fact: Mariia grew up in the southern city Mykolayiv in Ukraine and moved to Germany to do her Master's degree in 2014.
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Lee Whitfield
Meet Lee Whitfield, a Principal in the Forensic Services Practice who is based in Dallas. Lee looks forward to working with an amazing team and learning from them.
Fun Fact: Lee enjoys building complex Lego sets and finds them therapeutic.
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Career Growth & Resources | |
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Welcome, New Hires!
Our flagship training for junior staff, Research and Analysis Core Training (RAC) will be held this week, Tuesday, September 13 - Thursday, September 15 in our London office, as well as via Zoom, for 25+ new Europe junior hires. This three-day training covers fundamental consulting and technical skills and connects new hires with senior leaders.
If you’re based in the London office, you’ll have the opportunity to meet them at a fun Oktoberfest celebration and learn more about how you can get involved at CRA.
Contact training@crai.com if you have not received an invite.
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Core Training Kickoff
This week, we kick off three of our Core training programs!
Core 100 supports those making the transition from individual contributor to a manager of people and projects, and takes the form of a series of interactive virtual modules led by long-time training partner, Paul Giragos.
Core 250 is designed for individuals who are moving from primarily a problem solver and task manager to a thought partner, influencer and advisor to the client. Consisting of interactive virtual modules, coaching and more, this session led by LeadersCore is the first in our series of business development programming.
Core 400 is our business development master class that kicks off in Boston this week. The program is designed for Principals who have already achieved some business development success, anticipate taking on broader responsibilities in BD, and may advance their BD skills more quickly as a result of rigorous mentoring, coaching and support.
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Leveraging LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the most impactful social media channel for lead generation among B2B marketers. With over 630 million members on LinkedIn, professionals have the opportunity to target and engage with decision makers, influencers, and leaders.
Learn how you can leverage organic and paid media strategies to drive conversions and build brand awareness by contacting Jen Harvey.
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Get Involved In Recruiting!
As our fall campus recruitment season continues, we are calling on all practices to spread the word via social media and staff our in-person campus events.
Please make every effort to accept our invitations – these events would not be what they are without the presence of our consultants that make CRA successful.
In addition, the DE&I team will host five virtual CRA info sessions that cover resume building, interviewing and case study prep.
We invite all consultants to support and participate as a presenter in one of these virtual sessions (below). Contact Raquel Tamez if you would like to participate.
- Wednesday, September 21, 2022, 11:00 AM (US only)
- Wednesday, September 21, 2022, 2:00 PM (UK & US)
- Friday, September 30, 2022, 6:00 AM (co-hosted with SEOxLondon)
- Tuesday, October 11, 2022, 11:00 AM (US only)
- Tuesday, October 11, 2022, 2:00 PM (UK & US)
Contact the campus team for any questions regarding recruitment.
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Campus Recruiting Contacts
Our campus team is comprised of the following professionals who are primarily focused on recruiting for the corresponding office locations:
Click the names above to learn more about each colleague.
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Recruiting Diverse Talent
A diverse organization is a successful organization – and this LinkedIn Learning path "Recruit Diverse Talent and Promote Equitable Hiring" share best practices and strategies to make recruiting, interviewing, and hiring practices more inclusive, equitable, and authentic.
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Wellness On Demand
Have you missed a past wellness webinar this year? Don’t worry!
You can access recordings and materials on our Wellness page here.
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Mental Health Resources
If you or a family member would like to connect with a professional for assistance with work/life balance, stress/anxiety, family conflicts, or to access a variety of financial and legal resources, we wanted to remind you about CRA’s free and confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Please visit iConnect to learn more.
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Wonder what's happening around the world at CRA? Our social media pages are a great way to stay up-to-date on events, happenings, and culture. Here are a couple highlights from this week. | |
We Want to Hear Your Feedback! | |
From profiles of new colleagues, office events, and COVID-19 policy alerts to training and wellness offerings, CRA 360 is designed to more efficiently deliver internal news and updates to you. Let us know what other topics you would like featured here and how we might continue to enhance your experience with CRA 360. | |
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Hit That Follow Button!
Keep tabs on the latest at CRA by following us on social media!
From employee spotlights and the latest company news to our ever-evolving DE&I initiatives, our goal is to give team members—past, present, and future alike—a window into what makes CRA such a special place to work.
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