As we come to the end of Black History Month and begin to enter Women’s History Month, we at BalancedComp wanted to shine the spotlight on three influential black women in the finance industry that have been inspiring us.

Suzanne Shank

The engineer turned Wall Street CEO, Suzanne Shank is a trailblazer for women in finance. She received her MBA at Wharton and is both the CEO of Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC and the President of Shank Williams Cisneros & Co., LLC. Suzanne serves on more than ten different committees and boards including Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Regional Chamber, Wharton School’s Graduate Executive Board, and is a member of the International Women’s Forum. Suzanne was named as Women in Public Finance’s “She’s Our Hero”, one of U.S. Banker Magazine’s “Top 25 Women in Finance”, and one of Black Enterprise Magazine’s “75 Most Powerful Blacks on Wall Street”, among many others.

Carla Harris

Carla Harris has made a name for herself in crusading for the importance of personal sponsorship and mentorship in business. Currently the Vice Chairman of Wealth Management and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley, she is a graduate of both Harvard University and Harvard Business School and holds multiple honorary doctorate degrees. Carla was appointed the chairperson of the National Women’s Business Council in 2013 by President Barack Obama. Her credits could be listed for pages, including notable additions; TEDWomen speaker, published author, gospel recording artist, and industry sponsor.

“Everyone needs guidance at some time or another. Business is not about hard work alone; you have to invest in relationships as well.”

Tonya Rapley

Founder of My Fab Finance, Muhturnal, and owner of Club Loofa (along with a few other companies if you can believe it?!), Tonya Rapley is a serial entrepreneur who wants to empower women to take control of their finances. A nationally-recognized “millennial money expert”, Tonya has been involved with clients like Fidelity Investments, Prudential, the National Endowment for Financial Education, and FinCon. She was named the “New Face of Wealth Building” by Black Enterprise Magazine, along with many other awards and credits to her name. Tonya has a Master’s Degree in Urban Policy Administration from Brooklyn College.

 

Join us in celebrating Black women in finance this month, next month, and every month. 

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