How a Dental Hygienist Became a Fortune 500 CEO
Terry Rasmussen started her career scaling teeth, not corporate ladders. Today, she leads Thrivent, a Fortune 500 financial services firm managing nearly $200 billion in assets, proving that clinical skills, curiosity, and values-based leadership can take you further than you ever imagined.
Terry Rasmussen never planned on becoming a CEO, let alone the head of a Fortune 500 company. Her career began in a dental chair, where she worked as a dental hygienist to support herself through law school. That same drive and dedication carried her from patient care to boardroom strategy. After joining Thrivent Financial as General Counsel in 2005, Rasmussen took on progressively broader responsibilities, from marketing and communications to risk management and government affairs. Her willingness to learn and solve problems earned her the opportunity to lead the company’s core business in 2015 and just 3 years later, she was named CEO.
Today, she oversees a values-driven, faith-based financial services organization with nearly $200 billion in assets. She’s leading Thrivent’s transformation into a modern, diversified financial firm, expanding digital banking, securing a bank charter, and investing in a new generation of purpose-driven advisors. Rasmussen’s leadership is rooted in connection, humility, and service, principles that any dental hygienist will recognize. Click here to read more.
