Lela Dunlap, CFA
Associate Portfolio Manager
Victory Capital
Lela Dunlap is an Associate Portfolio Manager at Victory Capital. She is part of the Solutions team responsible for managing the firm’s asset allocation products, including target retirement and target risk funds and components of our 529 Education Savings Plan portfolios. She is a member of W@V.
“W@V is a community to support and empower women and champion their voices within Victory Capital and beyond. We formed the group out of a collective desire to help other people and to find ways to make their lives better.
One of the ways we do this is by sharing what we call "TED Talk Tuesdays." On the first Tuesday of every month we select a TED Talk topic to encourage introspection and discussion. We also post Friday Reflections, where employees can share inspiring quotes, passages, or thoughts on Fridays (or whenever).
In August, W@V organized a clothing drive to benefit the local chapters of Dress for Success, Career Gear, and other nonprofits in some of the cities where Victory Capital has offices.
We worked with organizations that empower people entering or returning to the workforce, that encourage economic independence through support networks and career training, and that provide professional attire to their clients.
We called our month-long event "Dress it Forward." It was a great success.
There were a lot of reasons for this. The first was that our group brought diverse perspectives and different ideas to make it fun. Our group has a lot of creative energy. But we were just the conduit between the nonprofits and Victory Capital’s very generous employee base.
Our employees brought a wonderful giving spirit. They were happy to help. They donated cash and clothing. Some put notes of encouragement into the articles they donated. It was nice to see so many employees excited to give. I think they appreciated having an opportunity to get involved.
The sustainable practice of recycling clothes saves energy required to produce and transport new items. This event gave our colleagues the opportunity to donate clothing they loved (but maybe didn’t wear very often). The event gave us a chance to help the environment and have some fun at the same time.
The clothing went to people who really need it, to people who are trying to better themselves and trying to improve their lives. It was nice to be part of that. So, Dress it Forward embodied the whole spirit of the W@V resource group. We plan to do it twice a year going forward.”
