Page 50 - BusinessWest October 27, 2021

told BusinessWest, using ‘mixed salad’ rather than ‘melting pot’ to describe it, adding that it was a very welcoming and tolerant environment.
As much as she liked those elements of home, she desired to make a new life for herself and her two young sons, and, at the behest of a friend in Springfield who promised to help her get settled, packed her bags.
“I did not want to raise them in New York City, the fast and the furious — I needed something slower,” she said. “I felt bad when I told my
dad I was leaving, but I knew that I needed this challenge, this opportunity to start afresh — a white canvas.”
The picture that now fills that canvas is one that tells of a young women taking advantage of opportunities afforded her, but mostly making her own opportunities — while never, ever forgetting that neighborhood she moved to and the people, like her, who still call it home.
Upon arriving in Springfield, in quick order, she secured an apartment, a job, and daycare so she could work that job. She married Carlo, a police officer, and the two created a blended family and “pulled it together,” as she put it.
That same phrase applies to her career and her ladder climbing at MassMutual.
She started in Accounts Receivable and
quickly advanced, first to a leadership role in
that department, then the IT department, and later Sales and a management position in that department. In 2011, she became director of Life Company Marketing and, among other initiatives, led the development and execution of marketing and recruiting strategies to help the company reach the U.S. Hispanic and Latino markets.
In her current role, Landrau has a number of
responsibilities. She manages the MassMutual Foundation’s Anchor Institution Grantee Portfolio, which represents $5 million in funding to more than 20 organizations across the state. She
also leads the company’s national LifeBridge life-insurance program, which offers free life- insurance coverage to eligible parents for the benefit of their children’s education. And she also
Finance & Capital Assets Committee, as well as a trustee with the Baystate Health Foundation.
But while influential in the boardroom, she has been most impactful in the community itself and working with people (especially young Latinas) as a mentor, second mother on many occasions, and role model in every way imaginable.
She said she is connected with mentees
“When I meet with them, I tell them they have to meet me halfway. They have to do their part; let’s build trust, build the communication pattern, and share the good, the bad, and the ugly. I tell them that I want to hear more good, but don’t be afraid to share the bad — and the ugly.”
leads and executes the FutureSmart Challenge Program in markets across the country. On pause because of COVID-19, the program is MassMutual’s proprietary financial-education program that educates middle- and high-school students about making smart financial decisions and career choices.
All throughout her career, she has been active within the community, and especially the North End. Early on, she volunteered on the board of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center and also served on the New North Citizens Council. Currently, she serves as a trustee at Westfield State University — she’s the first Latina to serve in that capacity — and is now vice chair of a subcommittee of the
through the New North Citizens Council, Springfield Technical Community College, neighbors, and other channels. Slicing through what she tells them and she guides them, she said there is a dominant message.
“They create these challenges for themselves ... and I tell them that, if only they were to make the right choice at the given time, I foresee that they wouldn’t have so many challenges,” she explained. “If they only took a pause and said, ‘this isn’t life the way it’s supposed to be,’ and if they created this opportunity for themselves to be happy and not allow others to make them
Landrau
Continued on page 59
CONGRATULATIONS
Madeline Landrau, Board of Trustees
2021 Business West’s Women of Impact honoree
westfield.ma.edu
Women of IMPAC
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE
2021 WOMEN OF IMPACT!
Madeline Landrau, Trustee
Baystate Health Foundation (BHF) would like to celebrate the dedication and volunteerism of our BHF Trustee being honored as a 2021 Woman of Impact, Madeline Landrau.
MPACT
PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWESTBaystateHealth.org/Giving
CS13315
50 OCTOBER 27, 2021
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST Women of
Women of IMPACT IMPACT A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
WI om e n o f TA
WOMEN
BusinessWest