Fellicia Foster

Managing Director and Head of U.S. People, Process, Change, Inclusion & Talent Integration, BMO Harris Bank

Fellicia Foster is the managing director and head of U.S. People, Process, Change, Inclusion & Talent Integration at BMO Harris Bank. In this capacity, she is accountable for driving alignment and integration across business groups on U.S. HR strategic priorities and business integration. She is responsible for leading key initiatives that support DEI, Talent Management, Data & Analytics, Change and Project Management, and Organizational Design with thoughtful prioritization and implementation of integrated enterprise solutions. Fellicia joined BMO in 2010 and has progressively navigated her career across multiple business units, leaving an impactful, inclusive and change agent legacy.

Fellicia proudly serves on the board of YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, Illinois Diversity Council, Illinois State University Alumni Association and SFNet DEI Committee. 

Fellicia holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Illinois State University. Fellicia was recognized by Collaborate Magazine “Top 40 under 40” in 2014, Illinois State University’s 2017 College of Business Early Career Achievement Award, 2020 40 Game Changers Under 40 by Ariel Investments and WVON, 2021 Chicago Defender Women of Excellence Honoree and a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow Class of 2022.

What is the best professional advice you have been given and how have you implemented it? 

“Any strength overdone can become a liability”. This statement was shared with me by a mentor that helped me understand the value of giving myself grace. Earlier in my career, I realized that I was my toughest critic even when I was exceling beyond other’s expectations. I was hard on myself, rarely celebrated my success and often felt I needed to take on more responsibility to prove I was worthy of progression. Rest assured, I have learned to give myself grace. I’ve learned that ambition is a great characteristic to possess, but without prioritizing your mental health and creating space to celebrate your wins, you can become overextended which can impede on your progress of achieving success. 

What advice do you normally give to the junior talent you mentor?

One piece of advice that I often share is to “be interested, so that you can become interesting”. If you are curious about the journey of others, you can become equipped with insights to learn and grow from others, thus creating your own story that others will become interested in learning. Ask questions, model successful behaviors, take the road map of others and use it as a guide to create your own path. 

What advice would you give on how to self-advocate?

Self-advocacy, from my professional perspective, is rooted in the ability to do your job well and having a strong professional brand that is grounded in authenticity – combined with the skill to confidently showcase your strengths and contributions with others and matched with the self-awareness of your gaps without it leading towards insecurity. That stated, doing your job alone is not enough – you must demonstrate your ability to excel beyond expectation by driving meaningful outcomes that impact your organization. Building a strong professional brand is enabled by authenticity – when you are self-assured in who you are, the uniqueness of your personality becomes memorable to others. Confidence is key – if you don’t believe in your own contributions it will be difficult to convince others, therefore you must clearly articulate the value you have added and why it should matter to the person you are self-advocating with. Know your shortfalls – reassess your efforts to determine where you have gaps and seek out feedback from others to confirm; when you are willing to state and embrace your areas of opportunity, it demonstrates your openness to grow. 

How would you encourage young professionals to become more involved in their community or volunteer? How have these activities outside of work helped shape your professional life? 

I live by the concept of “lift as you climb”. It is a model that allows you to sow seeds as they have been sowed into you so that success and prosperity becomes cyclical. I believe in the importance of civic duty and have long been committed to uplifting the community because I was a beneficiary of others that had that same commitment. My community engagement has been the pivotal component to my professional success -learning and growing my skills and talents through volunteerism and developing my network through community partnerships and relationships. As I reflect on where I am today, I have grown into a woman who is enriched with personal experiences, professional skills and financial resources that have enabled me to fund scholarships for students, mentor youth who are managing through crisis, consult non-profit organizations on business strategy, create career opportunities that will lead to economic prosperity and partner with local leaders to address socio-economic issues.