Connor Deeks wants both men and women to become “change agents” throughout their careers in the fight against gender inequality in the workplace. That’s why Deeks, a 2014 graduate with degrees in Accounting and Spanish, donated 200 copies of Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In for Graduates” to be given away to College of Business students.
“Many people think that the struggle for workplace equality is over,” said Deeks. “But our female colleagues are not yet experiencing equality. There’s a divide between how women and men are ‘supposed’ to move through their careers and how women are perceived when they demonstrate leadership qualities that would otherwise be considered ideal for men,” he said.
Sandberg’s “Lean In” is based on the premise that many women are held back from leadership positions by their body language, speaking voice and a tendency to shy away from speaking out due to a lack of self-confidence.
“Most of my mentors in high school were women, so I’ve always perceived women as strong, capable leaders,” said Deeks.
Deeks first became aware of “Lean In” through his employer, accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Deeks is currently an Experienced Associate at the firm’s Portland office. The company was an early adopter of the book, posting “PwC is Leaning In” on the news section of their homepage.
“Seeing that on their homepage really grabbed my attention and made me curious to learn more,” said Deeks. “I read it right away and instantly felt compelled to try and get the book into the hands of as many of my fellow Oregon State grads as possible,” he said.
A member of the Dean’s Student Leadership Circle (DSLC) for two years and an officer/events coordinator in the Oregon State chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, a national scholastic and professional accounting organization, Deeks approached Dean Kleinsorge with the idea of giving away copies to College of Business graduates.
Deeks decided to donate $1,000 of his own money for the project and took advantage of PwC’s matching donation funds program, effectively doubling the impact. After negotiating with the publisher to get the price down on a bulk purchase, Deeks and PwC were able to purchase about 200 copies of the book.
For now, the books are available to students who are members of the DSLC or are active and engaged in other student organizations on campus. Deeks is hoping to double or triple the donation in subsequent years, eventually getting the book into the hands of every single College of Business graduate. Deeks also hopes to eventually expand the program to include College of Engineering graduates as well, since close to 40 percent of women with engineering degrees either leave the profession or never enter the field.
