Sr. Business Planning Analyst, Franklin Templeton
WIPN Tampa Chapter Co-chair
How has WIPN had an impact on you and your career? Being relatively new to this industry, it’s been difficult to navigate and meet like-minded professionals. WIPN provided me with a platform to build meaningful relationships with local professionals, learn more about our industry, and even helped me overcome the fear of stepping into a client-facing role.
Why did you step forward to volunteer as a co-chair in your local chapter? Initially I didn’t have the confidence to step into a lead role for our chapter until my leader (and mentor) gave me the nudge I needed to overcome my hesitancies. The more I learned about the role, the more I realized how I could make a positive impact and meaningfully contribute to the path to equality. As they say: “It takes a village,” and I hope to lead that village to success!
How important is it for you to be a role model for the upcoming generations of women in the retirement industry? I want to inspire others to be confident and I believe it is vital for us to share our experiences and learn from each other. Additionally, simply knowing you have an advocate/mentor in your corner can provide the perspective we didn’t know we needed and give us the confidence to overcome a variety of roadblocks (both personally and professionally).
What has been most important to your career so far – a mentor, a sponsor or both? Cultivating a satisfying and successful career isn’t easy and doing it alone is even harder – and unnecessary. Not only do both contribute to overall career growth, but by sponsoring someone, you’re expressing your confidence in that individual to apply those skills in a practical environment. I believe that having both mentors and sponsors has been essential to my success and many of my mentors have also acted as sponsors by advocating for me. I hope to do the same for upcoming generations because this type of support and relationship can have a significant impact on an individual’s career development.
Tell us something we may not know about your chapter. I’m still learning about my chapter and meeting many new members! However, a fun fact about Tampa is that we have the highest lightning strike density of anywhere in the entire US., making us the “Lightning Capital!”
Vice President, Key Account Manager at Fidelity Investments
WIPN Boston Chapter Co-chair
How has WIPN had an impact on you and your career? I joined WIPN as the pandemic started and I couldn’t be more grateful for the ability to connect with like-minded women. The Boston chapter is one of the most welcoming, engaging, and sincere groups I’ve come across in my career and all via Zoom! Finally getting together in person was the icing on the cake.
Why did you step forward to volunteer as a co-chair in your local chapter? Primarily I’d like to give back and be of service for all that I’ve received. Our current team inspires me to follow their lead.
How important is it for you to be a role model for the upcoming generations of women in the retirement industry? The upcoming generation of women are just as much role models for me. I find we help each other model confidence and success. I am open to the differences in our journeys.
What has been most important to your career so far – a mentor, a sponsor or both? I am grateful for having experienced the benefits of sponsors and mentors. In my current role I’m lucky to work for a leader who is both a sponsor and a mentor which is a rarity in my career. I have learned so much from listening, watching, and emulating her. I didn’t necessarily plan for the mentors and sponsors I worked with and rather tried to be valuable to others so they would succeed.
Tell us something we may not know about your chapter. I believe I’ve heard our chapter may have the most founding members of the organization. Otherwise, you may not know we are the largest and growing! We can’t wait to meet new members!
Director of Consultant Relations at Vanguard
WIPN Philadelphia Co-chair
As a longstanding member of WIPN, how has WIPN had an impact on you and your career? I’ve been a WIPN member for over 10+ years and I can’t say enough about its positive and empowering benefits. WIPN opened my eyes to other powerful women in the retirement and financial services industry and made me think it’s not just a man’s world. WIPN helped me build relationships and network with other women in the field and that has been very beneficial to my career.
Why did you step forward to volunteer as a co-chair in your local chapter? Patrice Churnetski, the former Philadelphia co-chair who worked at Vanguard, approached me about her retirement. We talked and I realized that this opportunity was not just work-related but could be a personal development work-in-progress project and that really interested me. I’ve been in this industry for over 25 years and have been very fortunate in my career. Networking with WIPN is a great way to meet people outside of the walls of Vanguard and to hear new perspectives. It exposes you to different ways of thinking, different industries, and different people within our profession.
How important is it for you to be a role model for the upcoming generations of women in the retirement industry? It’s extremely important to me to show that as a mom of 3 young kids, as a woman in a Director’s role and in a sales position, or other demanding job that requires travel – you can do it all. You must use your network both internally and externally to make it work for you.
What has been most important to your career so far – a mentor, a sponsor or both? A mentor has been very important to me as I have looked to women whom I admire to guide me in my career. One mentor encouraged me not to leave sales as she did when she had her family offering me sage advice that I could do this. My mentors have been people who I can be real with, to talk about my victories and challenges with, and their encouragement alone has been invaluable.
Tell us something we may not know about your chapter. Our goal in 2023 is to expand and grow our chapter outside of the King of Prussia/Philadelphia area and broaden our WIPN partnerships such as with neighboring WIPN NJ.
Director, Relationship Management
Compass Financial Partners
WIPN Carolinas Co-chair
As a longstanding member of WIPN, how has WIPN had an impact on you and your career? WIPN’s motto, “Connections That Count,” has certainly rung true for me. When I relocated from Boston to Charlotte in 2016, I shifted to a full-time work from home environment. WIPN was instrumental in helping me meet other retirement “nerds” in a city where I didn’t know anyone. One of those connections eventually garnered an introduction that led to my current role, so I’m very grateful for the chance to meet with and network with others in our area.
Why did you step forward to volunteer as a co-chair in your local chapter? I saw a need and believed I could help fill it! I’ve been in this industry for over 20 years and have been very fortunate in my career. Because I have gained so much from the connections that I’ve made, I wanted to give something back.
How important is it for you to be a role model for the upcoming generations of women in the retirement industry? It’s critical that those of us who have found successful paths in the industry assist in pulling others up. I ended up in this industry quite by accident – very few little girls grow up dreaming of becoming retirement plan professionals – but there are so many opportunities for people to use their unique skill sets in roles that ultimately serve to help other people.
What has been most important to your career so far – a mentor, a sponsor or both? Both have made a difference for me. I’ve had mentors who have stepped in at various key points throughout my career. From a sponsorship perspective, there’s one person I would consider in that role, perhaps without his knowing it. He’s provided consistent encouragement and has introduced me to industry leaders for introductory conversations, simply because he believed in my abilities and wanted to give me more opportunity to learn and connect.
Tell us something we may not know about your chapter. The Carolinas chapter covers a large geographical area that centers in Charlotte. One of our goals in 2023 is to find partners throughout the region who are willing to host events and bring more women into the fold!
