TIAA, Rock the Street Wall Street, Team Up to Inspire Students to Pursue Careers in Financial Services
To mark IWD Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO of TIAA, hosted RTSWS Student CEOs for “A Day Full of Promise,” an immersive event to support emerging female leaders
“I know from personal experience how important it is for young women, especially for young women of color, to have exposure to corporate America…”
— Thasunda Brown Duckett
NEW YORK, NY, USA, March 8, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Rock the Street Wall Street (RTSWS), an organization that encourages diverse high school girls to pursue careers in the capital markets and financial workforce, joined TIAA, a leading retirement services provider, to provide the next generation of female leaders with an immersive, inspiring event that offered a first-hand look at careers in financial services.
The “A Day Full of Promise” event invited RTSWS Student CEOs—girls who have raised their hands to serve as leaders for their RTSWS cohort—to connect with TIAA leaders and executives at TIAA’s offices in New York City. The day’s event included a fireside chat between Thasunda Brown Duckett, President & CEO of TIAA, and Maura Cunningham, Founder and CEO of Rock the Street Wall Street, for an engaging discussion about their educational and career journeys and how they’ve built careers in financial services.
“It is a personal highlight for us to join Thasunda in such a key discussion showing our talented girls this incredible path forward, building on our programming with this extraordinary event,” said Maura Cunningham RTSWS Founder & CEO. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate International Women’s Day by empowering this future generation of female leaders, providing them with these real-world insights and lessons learned, building on the RTSWS programming and mentoring they receive throughout the year from our volunteers and financial investment professionals.”
In addition to the fireside chat, RTSWS Student CEOs participated in 10-minute roundtable conversations with other TIAA executives, where they could ask questions and gain deeper insight into the executives’ roles and business priorities. The event closed with the TIAA Women’s Network reception, where students continued fostering valuable relationships with TIAA leaders.
“I know from personal experience how important it is for young women, especially for young women of color, to have exposure to corporate America. As leaders, we know that talent is created equally, but opportunity is not,” said Thasunda Brown Duckett, President & CEO of TIAA. “This event allowed these students the opportunity to see what a career in financial services can offer. It’s my hope these young girls take this experience and recognize their unique voice and perspective matters, that they strive to take on leadership roles, and live authentically no matter the career they pursue.”
About Rock the Street Wall Street (RTSWS)
Rock The Street Wall Street (RTSWS) is an innovative nonprofit that brings the M in STEM to diverse high school girls, focusing on financial and investment mathematics and fundamentals, and dedicated to empowering young women with the knowledge and confidence to take control of their financial futures. Through mentorship programs, educational resources, and community events, RTSWS strives to bridge the gender gap in finance and inspire the next generation of female leaders in the industry.
About TIAA
TIAA is a leading provider of secure retirements and outcome-focused investment solutions to millions of people and thousands of institutions. It is the #1 not-for-profit retirement market provider[1], paid more than $5.6 billion in lifetime income to retired clients in 2022 and has $1.3 trillion in assets under management (as of 12/31/2023)[2].
1. As of July 21, 2022. Based on data in PLANSPONSOR’s 403(b) 2022 DC Recordkeeping Survey, combined 457 and 403(b) data.
2. As of December 31, 2023 assets under management across Nuveen Investments affiliates and TIAA investment management teams are $1,284 billion.
RTSWS Celebrates International Women’s Day and Women’s Month in Three Countries
RTSWS is proud to highlight its students, alumnae, and volunteers while marking a significant milestone reaching more than 6,000 diverse female students.
NEW YORK, NY, USA, March 7, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Rock The Street, Wall Street (RTSWS) proudly celebrates International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month throughout March. This innovative nonprofit is dedicated to bringing the M in STEM to diverse high school girls with a focus on financial & investment mathematics and fundamentals as well as supporting the students and alumnae through their university and early career journeys.
The organization highlights its students, alumnae, and volunteers while marking a significant milestone: RTSWS has reached more than 6,000 diverse female students in 60 high schools / secondary schools across cities in the US, UK, and Canada. Special events will be held in each country, celebrating successes as well as noting industry gaps to be addressed together.
March Keynote Events
Global: 100 Women in Finance JumpStart Program, introduces students to the financial services industry and leaders including a discussion with Maura Cunningham, RTSWS Founder & CEO and Anders Hall, Vice Chancellor for Investments and Chief Investment Officer of Vanderbilt University, moderated by Allison Jegla
New York: TIAA & Rock The Street, Wall Street Host “Day of Promise” for NY’s RTSWS Student CEOs with Thasunda Brown Duckett Fireside chat with leaders: Thasunda Brown Duckett, TIAA President & CEO, and Maura Cunningham, RTSWS Founder & CEO, introduced by RTSWS Students. The half-day event includes TIAA Executive Leadership Roundtables with these aspiring female student CEOs
Canada: CFA Society Toronto & RTSWS, Celebrating International Women’s Day Across Canada Spotlighting: Maura Cunningham, RTSWS Founder & CEO, Tricia Rothschild, Industry leader and Member of the Institute Board of Governors and Board Member of RTSWS, moderated by Frederick Pinto, CFA Society Toronto CEO as they discuss financial investment programming for the next generation of female leaders
London: Bloomberg & Rock The Street, Wall Street – Empowering Secondary School Girls with Financial & Investment Literacy Bloomberg, the global leader in business and financial information, will host nearly 100 girls from RTSWS’sLondon network for a day-long event including financial and investment literacy workshops and a panel featuring senior women from the financial sector, including Maura Cunningham, RTSWS Founder & CEO
London & New York: Tradeweb and RTSWS: The Impact of Inclusion International Women’s Day Panel hosts a discussion with Amanda Meatto, Managing Director, Head of US Institutional Sales, Rates at Tradeweb and Maura Cunningham, RTSWS Founder & CEO, moderated by Colleen Flynn, Managing Director, Repo at Tradeweb
West Coast: ING & Rock The Street Wall Street Preview the reimagined RTSWS Alumnae & Career Center RTSWS Student & Alumnae Cohorts from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland spearhead user testing Global Launch Date: April, Financial Literacy Month
Global Roll Out: Spotlight Series Celebrating Teachers, RTSWS Alumnae & Students, and Volunteers The RTSWS Newsletter, reaching over 10k subscribers, kicks off its “Spotlight” series, highlighting the vibrant young stars and supporters driving change; select spotlights will be featured on LinkedIn as well as the RTSWS Newsletter
RTSWS empowers underserved, racially diverse high school girls by offering opportunities to engage with mathematics and financial investment fundamentals before they choose college courses and embark on their career journeys. The early intervention impact is profound, with RTSWS alumnae earning degrees in finance, economics, or related business fields at 5x the National average for women in college.
Together with Sponsors and Volunteers, Founder & CEO of RTSWS, Maura Cunningham, leverages her more than 25 years of Wall Street experience to inspire the next generation of girls. She emphasizes the transformative power of math education at a critical pre-college juncture and career selection, emphasizing, “STEM professions are exciting, purposeful and they lift up families in one generation.” At the same time, she adds, “These hard-working students diversify the pipeline with talented, motivated young women entering the workforce, strengthening the field for us all.”
Throughout Women’s History Month, RTSWS is participating in a variety of industry events to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of volunteers, sponsors, and students. RTSWS recognizes Binna Kim, Group CEO and Co-Founder of Vested, who hosted the organization’s inaugural Women’s Day event, as RTSWS continues to grow its reach and footprint.
Additionally, Rock The Street, Wall Street extends heartfelt gratitude to its dedicated sponsors and warmly welcomes new and existing firms enhancing their partnership with RTSWS, collaboratively increasing girls’ access to and understanding of the financial industry.
About Rock The Street, Wall Street
Rock The Street, Wall Street (RTSWS) is a pioneering non-profit that introduces the world of finance to high school girls, equipping them with financial and investment literacy before they make critical college and career choices. Founded by former Wall Street executive Maura Cunningham, RTSWS has expanded internationally, bringing STEM education to over 60 high schools across 30 cities in the US, UK, and Canada. The program works with female leaders in the financial industry as volunteer instructors and mentors, with sponsor firms providing crucial support.
RTSWS empowers students to envision themselves in pivotal roles, expanding their horizons and offering them the social capital and a pathway into STEM careers. Notably, RTSWS alumnae earn degrees in finance, economics, or related business fields at a rate 5 times the National average for women in college.
Background
Girls are often discouraged from embracing STEM, particularly math, at a young age. RTSWS strives to bolster technical and mathematical proficiency, impart financial knowledge, and bridge the gender gap in math and investing. Disconcertingly, leadership statistics within powerful investment firms repeatedly expose a lack of gender diversity in the C-suite and among money managers. In response, RTSWS harnesses technology and in-person training to increase diversity and expand the talent pipeline.
For more information, visit www.rockthestreetwallstreet.com
Morgan Stanley Prime Brokerage COO/CFO Conference
10-18-2024
An immersive financial and investment literacy program, bringing the M in STEM to diverse high school girls, sparking their interest into financial studies and careers.
Maura Cunningham, Founder & CEO, Rock The Street, Wall Street will be interviewed by Gerry Rubin, Global Head of Prime Brokerage Client Service.
A Bloomberg RTSWS International Women’s Day Celebration in London
3-12-2024 – London
Empowering Financial Futures: Interactive Sessions with Bloomberg and Maura Cunningham, Founder & CEO of Rock The Street Wall Street. RTSWS and secondary school students celebrate International Women’s Day at Bloomberg’s offices in London.