A Message from the FWA President

June 5, 2024

Dear FWA Community,


I’m excited to start the new FWA fiscal year with you! Earlier this week at our Annual Meeting, I reflected on my journey as the 59th president of the FWA. Since I was elected, so much has changed in my life, my family's lives, and undoubtedly in the lives of every FWA member. Throughout it all, my prime focus has been rebuilding and reenergizing this wonderful organization.


The Financial Women’s Association engaged me in mentorship early on, and it was through that invitation that I learned I could be a voice to help others. As a first-generation college student myself, like many of our FWA mentees, I learned many things from trial and error. I kept thinking, what if I could help others avoid the pitfalls I experienced? The seed of the FWA was planted.


My focus on our education programs continues. This year, we're expanding efforts to recruit dedicated mentors for our programs, as well as fundraising initiatives that make real impact to support the next generation, including our Dollars for Scholars campaign. I urge you all to support this worthy cause that provides scholarships, one-on-one mentoring, and professional development to deserving young women. I'm also proud to share that my Seton Hall University mentee, Bianca Sanchez, recently graduated! She and all of our graduating mentees have bright futures ahead of them.


My goal is to enhance the FWA by ensuring we continue to provide relevant content, dynamic speakers, and a mix of in-person and virtual events. Throughout this year, we’ll be engaging with more senior/high profile leaders, relaunching ‘Transition Tuesdays’ and other career reflection events, and listening to all of YOUR ideas to move the FWA forward – the door is always open!


Last month at our 2024 International Business Conference (IBC), we were honored to receive a warm welcome from the US Ambassador to Greece, many Greek government officials, esteemed Greek business leaders, investment professionals, and of course, my favorite chef - Chef Maria Loi. The experience was an exceptional master class on the Greek economy and business landscape.


For our next IBC we are heading to FRANCE in March 2025! Stay tuned for more details in the weeks ahead! Let us make my next and last year as president of the FWA one of growth and new opportunities. Join us on this journey!


Sincerely,
Annette Stewart
FWA President (2023-25)

FWA Welcomes Board Members for 2025-26

June 12, 2025
Please join us in congratulating and welcoming the new and returning Financial Women’s Association Board Members for the 2025-2026 term. We look forward to working with you to support and serve our community. Thank you for your leadership and service!

Introducing FWA's 2025 Summer Interns

June 5, 2025
The FWA is pleased to welcome Riya Shah and Joanna Jordan from the Jaggar Community Fellows Program at Adelphi University . This competitive program offers paid nonprofit internships, benefiting both organizations and students. Riya joins us as our Database Management & Data Analysis intern, and Joanna is our Marketing and Communications intern.

Kathryn Mayer Shares Highlights from Our 'Elevate Your Network' Event

May 29, 2025
Highlights from Kathryn Mayer: I’m honored to have been the featured speaker at the Financial Women’s Association (FWA) event, Elevate Your Network, Empower Your Career . A huge thank you to the FWA Membership & Engagement Committee, Erin K. Preston, Samantha DiMercurio, and Marsh McLennan for making this happen. Networking is evolving as many of us are returning to the office again, and FWA members are eager to rebuild their skills. Despite the rainy evening, the energy, engagement, and willingness to be vulnerable made this workshop unforgettable. I opened with this powerful insight: "Research shows that new ideas and career opportunities are most likely to come from weak ties – relationships outside our closest circles."* To illustrate this, I shared my own experience—how a simple question to my book editor led me to a life-changing conversation with keynote speaker and bestselling author Victoria Labalme who is a weak tie. Her advice? Just start calling yourself a keynote speaker. That shift in mindset transformed my approach, leading to new opportunities within weeks. Then, I challenged attendees with an interactive exercise. Each participant partnered with someone they didn’t know, spending five minutes brainstorming a person they wanted to meet or a request they could make to connect with a weak tie. The energy in the room was electric as women realized the untapped potential in their networks. Next, we explored key principles of strategic networking: defining its purpose, differentiating mentor-sponsor relationships, and identifying the 10–15 critical connections that drive success. Attendees then paired with new partners to reflect on how they define themselves—not just professionally, but through their education, family roles, hobbies, volunteer work, and social circles. Many discovered surprising commonalities, from boxing to shared alma maters, reinforcing the power of authentic connections. By the end, everyone walked away having met at least two to three new people and with actionable strategies to enhance their network. If you want to dive deeper, I cover strategic networking in my newly released book, The Productive Perfectionist. I also write a monthly blog on leadership development, so stay ahead of the curve and subscribe! Plus, if you're looking for coaching or training, visit kcmayer.com to connect and to buy my new book! *Gianpiero Petriglieri, “How to Make Better Friends at Work,” MIT Sloan Management Review, volume 65, no.3 (Spring 2024), page 44

Spotlight on Ariel Boverman, Nominating Committee Chair

May 22, 2025
Building and retaining leadership and a pipeline for the future Ariel Boverman is a human resources (HR) professional who has used her expertise to guide executives though organizational change at top firms including Marsh and McLennan, PwC, EY and Wells Fargo Advisors. She represents the Nominating Committee on the FWA’s board, and previously, she served on the board of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). In her free time, Ariel loves engaging with diverse people and cultures and being a tourist in her own city. Sherree DeCovny, co-chair of the FWA’s Marketing & Strategic Communications Committee, spoke with Ariel about her background and her role in helping the FWA ensure sustainability through strong leadership. 
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