Industry leaders Delano Brissett, Gretchen Flicker, Tricia Rothschild and Stephen Tisdalle join RTSWS's esteemed Board of Directors, chaired by Anders Hall, Vice Chancellor for Investments and Chief Investment Officer at Vanderbilt University.
NEW YORK, June 21, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Rock The Street, Wall Street (RTSWS), bringing the world of math and finance to diverse high school girls, announces the addition of four new board members for the innovative nonprofit. Industry leaders Delano Brissett, Gretchen Flicker, Tricia Rothschild and Stephen Tisdalle join RTSWS's esteemed Board of Directors, chaired by Anders Hall, Vice Chancellor for Investments and Chief Investment Officer at Vanderbilt University.
Rock The Street, Wall Street offers racially diverse high school girls additional opportunities to engage with math before proactively selecting college courses and ultimately, their career pursuits. Importantly, RTSWS alumnae earn degrees in finance, economics or related business fields at 5x the American national average for women in college. Additionally, the organization has recently announced a reimagined Alumnae & Career Center for students and alumnae as they continue through the RTSWS programs, through college and into the financial industry pipeline.
"I'm proud that these leaders are joining our distinguished Board. From creating the Fearless Girl campaign, to innovative tech and setting the standards for professional excellence, our new board members are leaders in their respective fields. They are driving the financial industry forward to increase access and diversity across Wall Street," commented Maura Cunningham, RTSWS Founder & CEO.
With 25 years of Wall Street experience, Ms. Cunningham turned her attention to empowering the next generation. "STEM professions are exciting, purposeful and can lift families out of poverty in one generation." Although women have surpassed men in earning college degrees, women are disproportionately represented in 6 of the 10 lowest-paying college majors, while 9 of the 10 highest-paying majors, all in the STEM fields, are dominated by men.
Delano Brissett, a lifelong learner, educator and technologist, has dedicated his life to empowering others. A product of the New York City public school system, he is a tireless advocate for providing pathways to equal opportunities for all. Mr. Brissett started his professional journey as a K-12 educator. He later transitioned into a role as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group, where he advised executives and leaders in education, media and technology. Recognizing the need for innovative solutions in education, he went on to establish his own education technology startup that focused on providing workforce training. Currently, he is a product manager at Google, where he has worked across multiple product areas, including Gmail and YouTube.
Gretchen Flicker, CFA is involved in community and philanthropic efforts after 25 years in the financial services industry. She spent more than 20 years at Dimensional Fund Advisors as a senior institutional investment executive. Ms. Flicker filled several roles over her career, including business development, key client management, the establishment of new business lines and customized strategy and vehicle development. Early in her career, Ms. Flicker held positions with Hewitt Investment Group and SEI Corporation.
Tricia Rothschild is an entrepreneurial, financial-services executive who previously served as the Chief Product Officer and Co-Head of Global Markets at Morningstar and as President of Apex Fintech Solutions. She is currently a non-executive director of Nitrogen (formerly Riskalyze), the Vice Chair of the CFA Institute Board of Governors, and is an industry advisor for Advent International.
In her 26-year career at Morningstar, Ms. Rothschild led data, analytics, research and software P&Ls from start-up to global scale. In 2021, she was named on Financial Planning's "Most Likely to Change Wealth Management" list and, in 2020, received Investment News' "Women to Watch" award.
Stephen Tisdalle, perhaps best known for the Fearless Girl campaign, is a fintech startup CMO. Most recently, he served as the Chief Brand and Demand Generation Officer for Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA) and Nuveen Asset Management where he served on the Executive Operating Committee. He was responsible for the enterprise-wide brand strategy and demand generation campaigns across 5 million active and retired participants at more than 15,000 institutions.
Prior to TIAA/Nuveen, Mr. Tisdalle was the Chief Marketing Officer of State Street Global Advisors, the third largest asset manager in the world. Mr. Tisdalle and his marketing teams are recognized for award-winning campaigns that have positioned brands in the national narrative on majors issues, increasing awareness and attracting new audiences. He pioneered and led the Fearless Girl campaign that raised awareness around the globe on the power and potential of women in leadership, as well as the connection between increasing gender diversity on boards and long-term company performance.
In addition to these directors joining the RTSWS Board, some directors have completed their terms and are rolling off, effective June 2023. Those who have completed their terms include: Claire Fefer, CFA Investment Manager at DUMAC, Inc., the investment management company for Duke University; Matthew Stone, CFA a strong advocate for diversity in the financial industry and a part of the University of Chicago since 1999; and Lisa Warren Member of the Mediant Board of Directors and Executive Management Committee.
"I'm grateful to our Board Members. As industry leaders, they have helped us expand and reach more girls. Over the years, RTSWS has worked with 6,000 high school girls on the M in STEM to help the students better understand financial and investment math," stated Ms. Cunningham. "Additionally, nearly 1,000 RTSWS program alumnae are soon to enter and diversify the pipeline – what a powerful legacy."
Rock the Street, Wall Street's supporting sponsors include BlackRock, Meta, J.P. Morgan, LPL Financial, Ernst & Young, ING Americas, Ninety One, Bloomberg, Franklin Templeton, Invesco, Amazon, Broadridge, Carson Group, Värde Partners and Corebridge Financial. Click here for a complete list.
About Rock The Street, Wall Street: RTSWS is an innovative 501(c)3 nonprofit that brings the world of finance to high school girls, helping to provide financial and investment literacy before college and career selections are made. Aiming to increase girls' interest in the financial industry, former Wall Street executive Maura Cunningham founded RTSWS. RTSWS has expanded internationally to bring STEM to young women in more than 60 high schools across 34 cities within the US, UK and Canada The programs leverage female leaders in the financial industry as volunteer instructors and mentors, as well as sponsoring firms. RTSWS helps students see themselves in key roles, expanding their reach and offering them social capital and a flight path into the M in STEM careers. RTSWS alumnae earn degrees in finance, economics or a related business field at a 5x the US national average for women in college.
Girls often opt away from STEM, math in particular, at young ages. With a female leader actively involved in teaching each program, RTSWS strives to strengthen technical and mathematical skills, teach financial lexicon and create solutions to overcome the gender gap in math and investing. Powerful investment firms' leadership statistics repeatedly demonstrate a lack of gender diversity in the C-suite and as money managers. The nonprofit deploys technology and in-person training to improve diversity in talent slates, increases qualified candidates reflecting all aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and expands the talent pipeline for investment, technology and fintech firms.
Media Contact
Kimberly Weinrick, Rock The Street, Wall Street, 1 917-224-5335, kweinrick@gmail.com
SOURCE Rock The Street, Wall Street
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