Naeemah Elias: Why does this Harvard grad she call herself a chameleon?

Naeemah Elias: Why does this Harvard grad she call herself a chameleon?

From This Kaleidoscope Career Podcast by This Kaleidoscope Career Podcast

March 11, 2026 · 49 min

About this episode

Naeemah Elias shares her journey from Harvard graduate to managing director at State Street and her transition to entrepreneurship, discussing the challenges and lessons learned along the way.

In this episode of This Kaleidoscope Career: Naeemah Elias went from a Harvard scholarship to life on stage to State Street and beyond. Host Helen Jonsen introduces Naeemah Elias, a former actor and Harvard graduate who became the second Black woman managing director at State Street before founding Elias Presence Ventures. Naeemah is the first puppeteer to be a guest on This Kaleidoscope Career. It was one more piece of colored glass in the brilliant images she would create along the way. In describing herself as a chameleon, she gives us an honest look at career and life including three children, interstate moves, bankruptcy, divorce, life as an actor, and a dozen years climbing the ranks at State Street in Boston. There she advanced from executive assistant to leadership in business continuity, information security, governance, compliance, risk, acquisitions, and built a 2020 internal talent marketplace. She recounts the madness of the pandemic as asingle parent and workaholic, and how that led to burnout. It also led to her stepping off the ladder and into her own. Naeemah makes her home in Boston and is a member of Innovation Women speakers. 00:00Transferable Skills Mindset…

People in this episode

Host: Helen Jonsen

Guest: Naeemah Elias

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: State Street, Elias Presence Ventures

Places: Boston, Harvard

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