FWA Voices: Albana Theka

September 20, 2025

Albana Theka is a visionary leader in data, analytics, and finance who blends her passion for technology with a proven record in healthcare finance. Raised in a small city in southern Albania, Albana arrived in the United States at the age of 17—alone, hopeful, and determined to build a brighter future. Her parents, drawing strength from a tumultuous era in Albanian history, sent her across the world on a $6,000 loan—a life-altering leap of faith.


She began her U.S. journey in Kentucky as a high school exchange student—becoming valedictorian and proving early on that she could thrive in unfamiliar worlds. After moving to New York, she balanced college and banking roles while earning her MBA. She then transitioned into healthcare finance, building a career in financial planning and analysis, ultimately advancing through increasingly senior leadership roles over more than a decade.

Around 2020, Albana pivoted into data and analytics, driven by her fascination with solving complex problems using numbers. She took on director-level roles overseeing analytics and data engineering teams, guiding executive decisions and strategy based on insights and innovation.


Alongside her professional evolution, Albana found a deep sense of belonging in the Financial Women’s Association (FWA). Since 2019, she has served on numerous committees, events and initiatives and rose to leadership roles before assuming the role of FWA President in 2025.


Her Story

Albana's journey is one of bold ambition, relentless perseverance, and unwavering belief—of a girl who embraced risk and a woman who has since built bridges for others to rise. She champions community, mentorship, and the power of education—values instilled by her parents, who lived through communism, patriarchy, and political upheaval. Those roots inform her leadership: grounded, authentic, and aspirational.


Her Vision & Mission

A data-technology leader with finance expertise, Albana brings deep experience in healthcare, finance, and data strategy. As President of FWA, her goals include expanding membership, forging strategic partnerships, and strengthening digital visibility—all to empower women at every career stage. Her mission is simple but powerful: to elevate women as leaders, storytellers, and changemakers in finance and beyond.


A Bit of Fun

Beyond boardrooms and data dashboards, Albana is the co-creator and lead vocalist of Albi, a band she formed with her husband—a joyful creative outlet that reflects her belief that community, connection, and fun are essential to balanced, inspired leadership.





The FWA Voices Committee is chaired by Leya Yusupov. Follow FWA on LinkedIn for more FWA Voices stories featuring our members!

How Mentorship Helped Shape Simran Hassan’s Future in Finance

January 14, 2026
Some students enter college unsure of where they are headed. Others, like Baruch College senior and Finance major Simran Hassan, arrive with ambition and quickly realize how much more there is to learn. For Simran, the finance world felt exciting but intimidating. Competitive. Fast paced. Male dominated. She knew she wanted a seat at the table, but finding her voice took time and support. That support came through the Financial Women’s Association's Baruch College Mentoring Program , which Simran describes as one of the most meaningful experiences of her college career. Before joining, she admits the industry felt overwhelming. “Before joining the program, the finance industry and its obvious male dominated environment felt quite daunting to me,” she shared. “But through FWA, I discovered the network of incredible women that exists within Baruch and across the industry. The program, and especially my mentor, gave me the confidence to speak my mind and seek resources that will help me succeed.”

With Gratitude for the Global Perspectives That Strengthen Our FWA Community

November 24, 2025
Recently, our members had the honor of meeting Army General François Lecointre, Grand Chancellor of the Order of the Legion of Honour. An institution Napoleon Bonaparte founded in 1802. General Lecointre brought the Order’s legacy to life, sharing its mission and new efforts to digitize centuries of archives. Did you know? The Legion of Honour also established an all-girls boarding school for descendants of honorees — a lasting investment in education and equality. The event also reunited members of our Paris International Business Conference delegation, a reminder that our global exchanges continue well beyond the trip through shared learning, cultural understanding, and lifelong connections. Thank you to Banque Transatlantique for hosting and to General Lecointre for sharing his insights and time.

Rising Star: How Mentorship Helped Adelisa Music Find Her Wings

November 20, 2025
FWA–Baruch College Mentoring Program Spotlight Adelisa Music is a rising star with a bright future in finance. A college student at Baruch, she’s built her success through focus, resilience, and a willingness to keep learning. Along the way, the Financial Women’s Association’s Mentoring Program at Baruch College added another dimension to her journey, giving her the guidance and confidence to take her ambitions even further. “My experience with the FWA Baruch College Mentoring Program was more than transformative,” Adelisa says. “It served as a guide and support throughout college, introducing me to people and opportunities that opened doors I didn’t know existed and helped me learn more about my strengths and weaknesses.”

FWA Annual Summit Recap: Disrupting Wall Street

October 24, 2025
On Tuesday, October 21, 2025, the Financial Women's Association's Annual Summit: Disrupting Wall Street highlighted how disruption is touching every aspect of our industry - from our cities and workplaces to the global economy. From Kathryn Wylde's call to rebuild public-private partnerships to Rick Rieder's global outlook, we were reminded that we're living through a new kind of industrial revolution. Every session pushed us to think bigger. We began with a powerful keynote from Kathryn Wylde who reminded us of the urgent need to revive public–private partnerships, particularly amid uncertainty in our own city. Conversations in following panels turned to the adoption of AI within individual firms, and considered how it is changing how we work on a day-to-day basis, fundamental aspects of our organizational structures and how they operate, and wider macro implications of advances in technology which will foundationally impact employment and education. Many speakers addressed the fact that we will need to learn to manage the masses of data at our disposal and the various implications of its usage. We are seeing the rise of the sophisticated retail investor in the markets, and increased discussions about the role of private credit markets. Here in NYC, we are known as the hub for Fintech and second only to Silicon Valley in venture capital. There is a revolution going on here too from increased investment in helping people to build financial resiliency or the disruption of the ecosystem to bring more capital to female or mixed gender led businesses. The enormity of the upcoming wealth transfer to women will only exacerbate this change. Yet amid all the talk of advances in technology and continued innovation, one key message came through clearly: the human component remains front and center. Leaders shared the value they place in collaboration and networking, and numerous speakers emphasized the concept of trust, whether it is between private and public partnerships, the ability of leaders to support their employees as AI is adopted within their firms, the relationships with regulators, or the acceleration of Fintech. Culture and behavior are also key; many of our speakers talked about experimentation, democratization, and staying curious. They reminded us not to be afraid of change and to seek out others to learn from. While some of these things may at times feel daunting, it can also be a time of exhilaration. We at the FWA are excited to be a part of your journey through all of this - supporting our members as they navigate and shape the future of finance. Thank you to our incredible host, Amazon Web Services (AWS), our Summit Sponsors Korn Ferry, Trianz, Concierto, and N-iX, our Promotional Partners Al NYC, TechWalk NYC, and This Week in Fintech, and our event organizers, the FWA Annual Summit and Fintech Committees. To every speaker, attendee, and committee member who helped make the day unforgettable, thank you for showing up ready to learn, share, and make an impact.
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