FWA Welcomes New Committee Chairs

This graduation season we're celebrating scholars who have benefited from FWA’s impactful programs. This week we're featuring Rithika Maheshwari, a Baruch College graduate (2023), who was the mentee of Jemi Onyejiaka and received two FWA scholarships. During her impressive college career, she earned numerous scholastic accolades and interned at well-known firms including KPMG, Credit Suisse, American Express. Rithika actively pursues professional certifications to enhance her current role as an ​Operations Analyst at ICONIQ Capital.

The Financial Women's Association congratulates Samantha Liu, mentee in the FWA - Baruch College mentoring program , on being named Valedictorian for Baruch's Class of 2024! Samantha embodies FWA’s mission of advancing women in finance. She’s excelled academically, led in community service, and will join Visa Inc. after graduation. Kathy Garramone, Samantha's mentor, said, "I'm proud to be part of Samantha's success story. She's embraced all that Baruch has to offer and contributed so much to the community." Read more about her inspiring story and achievements in the CUNY news announcement, here: Baruch College Announces Valedictorian and Salutatorian for Class of 2024 . The Queens Chronicle also ran a terrific profile , calling Liu "the pride of Sunnyside." Check out the full piece and watch her wonderful commencement address .

We are thrilled to announce that Theresa Blissing has been appointed the new Chair of the Fintech Committee. Theresa is a renowned thought leader in the global InsurTech space and the author of the industry bestseller “The Future of Insurance – Asia Rising.” Her vision for the Fintech Committee is to foster innovation, education, and collaboration at the intersection of finance and technology, empowering women to thrive in the rapidly evolving fintech landscape. By empowering women in fintech, the FWA Fintech Committee helps to drive innovation, encourage diversity, and build a stronger financial community for all. Join the Kickoff Session! To bring the fintech community and anyone interested in technology together, the committee is organizing quarterly virtual knowledge-sharing sessions. Date: June 26th Time: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM EST Where: Virtual Zoom meeting Agenda: 5:00 PM - 5:15 PM: Introduction (Speaker and Participants) 5:15 PM - 5:35 PM: Guest Speaker Presentation 5:35 PM - 5:55 PM: Open Conversation and Questions 5:55 PM - 6:00 PM: FWA Updates Our kickoff will feature a presentation by long-time FWA leader Ichun Lai on the topic "AI and Business: Bridging the Gap." Ichun recently founded Propel Global Advisory with a focus on accelerating the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence in financial services, applying her over two decades of change leadership experience at top-tier firms. The Fintech Committee and this event are open to all FWA members. To join the kickoff session, please click here to register . Also feel free to email committee chair Theresa Blissing at [email protected] if you are interested in joining the committee or getting actively involved in knowledge sharing sessions. We look forward to seeing you there!

It’s graduation season and we're celebrating scholars who have benefited from FWA’s impactful programs. This week we're featuring Caroline Weeks, a Seton Hall Stillman School of Business graduate (2019) and mentee of Madhumita Chakrabartti, who worked as a Financial Analyst on projects associated with the IPO of Amwell, a telehealth platform company, before joining GBH as a Financial Analyst. Her passion for giving back led her to volunteer with Budget Buddies, a nonprofit committed to teaching financial literacy to underprivileged women and girls.

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)