Marjorie Moeling, Director of Corporate Reputation and Issues Management at Astellas Pharma

I have never felt as supported in my career and in my personal life as I do at Astellas. A mother of a transgender child, I chose Astellas because of its comprehensive support for and coverage of transgender needs. This has been critical. Being active in a community of transgender parents, I have seen many of my friends struggle to afford the life-long treatments. With over 50 percent of transgender children experiencing one suicide attempt before the age of 20, these treatments are not optional. In some ways, Astellas saved my daughter’s life.

When my younger sister got breast cancer and passed away at 36, I realized how short and precious life is. Not yet a mom and nearing 40 -- but knowing motherhood was a priority for me -- I decided to adopt three children from Guatemala as a single parent. It’s a journey that has given me more joy and perspective than I ever could have imagined. I’m committed to ensuring my children are proud of their Mayan and Guatemalan roots, and Astellas’ Hispanic employee resource group has provided me with advice from finding a good school district with a large Hispanic population to locating a good place to buy tamales for Noche Buena (Christmas Eve), a holiday tradition in Guatemala.

As a single mom, my ability to come to work depends on reliable child care, and Astellas has an amazing benefit that can provide back-up care in a moment’s notice. At every other company I’ve worked since becoming a parent, I’ve had to face the challenges of single parenthood alone. At Astellas, a group of single parents gets together regularly to discuss challenges we’re facing and support one another in overcoming them.

The highlight of working for Astellas was being named our Working Mother of the Year. Astellas was named one of the Top 100 Companies for working mothers by Working Mother Magazine, and they picked me to represent the company. This means more to me than almost any other honor in my working career, because the reason I come to work each day is for my children. At other companies, it’s taboo to speak of your children or personal life. Astellas supports the whole person – families included.

In two decades in the pharmaceutical industry, Astellas is the company that leads the pack with their commitment to support employees in every way.