For the fourth year in a row, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) was recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion" in the Disability Equality Index (DEI).

MassMutual employs more than 7,000 people in the United States and over 10,000 around the world. The company offers life insurance and protection products, retirement, and investment services to more than five million people across the globe.

“Our commitment to being a diverse and inclusive company does not waver and is not negotiable,” said Lorie Valle-Yañez, head of diversity and inclusion, MassMutual, in a statement. “We are steadfast in advocating for inclusion, fairness, and equity, value people for who they are, and celebrate all diversity. Fostering an inclusive environment for people of all abilities, including for people with disabilities, is one of the ways we live mutual and strengthen our business.”

The DEI was launched in 2015 and is now acknowledged as the most comprehensive disability inclusion assessment tool designed and embraced by both business leaders and disability advocates.

The 2020 DEI measured culture and leadership, enterprise-wide access, employment practices (benefits, recruitment, employment, education, retention and advancement, accommodation), community engagement, and supplier diversity.

Last spring, Women of Color magazine recognized Valle-Yañez for her work within the field of workforce diversity. While at Mass Mutual, she spearheaded the design and implementation of MassMutual’s first D&I strategy.

Since joining MassMutual in June 2008, Valle-Yañez has developed an enterprise-wide diversity strategy and a multi-year game plan for MassMutual. As part of the Corporate Human Resources team, she helps drive diversity and inclusion into MassMutual’s culture and operations in order to help achieve business objectives and propel the company forward in a globally-integrated marketplace.

Valle-Yañez's parents were immigrants from the Philippines and Nicaragua. Born in San Francisco and raised in the Hawaiian Islands, Valle-Yañez earned a bachelor's degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco.