With coronavirus hitting the U.S. with renewed force, are we on the verge of a double-dip recession?  That’s the first question Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt had for Roger Ferguson, the CEO of TIAA. Before leading the money management firm, Ferguson spent several years at the Federal Reserve. This background gives him great perspective on the roles business and government play in building a strong economy, and how the two can – and should – be working together.   

In his conversation with Leadership Next, Ferguson lays out the immediate steps he believes the government should take to support the economy in the near-term. He also highlights how the coronavirus crisis has taken a greater toll on black and brown communities, and offers some ideas for helping these groups.  

Ferguson is just one of four black CEOs leading a Fortune 500 company – just like he was one of the few black men to ever hold a regulatory role at the Federal Reserve. Quick to acknowledge this as a serious problem, he has a list of three moves companies can make to bring greater diversity to the workplace.