Bentley Recognized for Advancing Wage Equity

In June, Bentley was named a 2026 Wage Equity Impact Award recipient by the Boston Women’s Workforce Council that honors employers working to close gender and racial wage gaps through measurable initiatives.  

This award recognizes our Career Success Equity Program (CSEP) that launched in 2023 and our commitment to expanding pathways for opportunity, advancement and long-term career growth. Laura Mannix, human resources business partner, collaborated with Bentley leadership to implement the Career Success Equity Program and attended the council’s June 10 event to accept the award and take part in panel discussion where she shared more about Bentley’s efforts. 

“The CSEP is especially meaningful to me because it brought colleagues from across the university together to address an important challenge through shared learning and action,” said Laura. “The experience reinforced that advancing equity is not the responsibility of any one department or indvidual. Meaningful progress requires commitment and partnership at every level, to create lasting change.”

Data-Driven Program Design

The Career Success Equity Program was developed in response to internal data showing that Bentley employees of color were underrepresented in higher-level roles, advanced more slowly than their peers, and their average length of employment was shorter than for white employees. Those patterns highlighted that wage gaps weren’t the only impediments faced by employees of color. They also lacked sufficient career development opportunities, inclusive management practices and clear pathways for growth.

Created in collaboration with The Gloria Cordes Larson Center for Women and Business, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Human Resources and  Dreambridge Partners, the cohort-based program supports high-potential, early-career employees of color and their managers through monthly learning sessions, peer support groups and inclusive manager training. Participants strengthen career readiness, build mentorship and sponsorship networks, and gain tools to navigate and shape advancement opportunities across the university.

“This work is rooted in Bentley’s values and in our mission to prepare business leaders who create value not only in the marketplace, but for society,” said Dominique Wilburn, senior director of the Gloria Cordes Larson Center for Women and Business. “By looking closely at data, strengthening development opportunities and engaging managers in the process, we are taking practical steps to build a more equitable workplace.”

Promising Results

The program has already demonstrated meaningful results. More than 40% of participants have earned promotions, including several who advanced multiple times and some who moved into management roles. Participants also earned higher-than-average merit increases, reversing prior trends in which they had lagged behind institutional averages.