| Number | Nominee | Person who made nomination | Nominee’s title | Nominee’s company | Years of experience in industry | Type of organization | Please indicate the nominee’s gender | Please indicate the nominee’s ethnicity | Please indicate if the nominee is LGBTQ | Explain why this nominee, though in the early stages of their career, should be recognized as a rising star. Judges will consider whether the nominee shows ongoing and exceptional growth in contributions to promoting diversity and inclusion. | Please highlight Specific examples of the nominee’s leadership skills and potential to be a driving force in increasing diversity and inclusion in the financial services industry. |
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| 1 | Luis Rosa | Rosa, Luis | Financial Planner | Build a Better Financial Future LLC | 17 | Registered investment adviser | Male | Latino/Hispanic | No | Although I've been in the business since graduating college in 2001, I recently went on my own in November of last year. I consider myself to be in the early stages of reaching my full potential. I am now focusing on working with young professionals from diverse backgrounds. These young professionals are typically left behind by the traditional financial planning industry because they normally don't have a lot of assets to invest. Rather than focusing on asset gathering, I charge a fee which they can afford, and I am able to help them achieve their goals and get advice from a fiduciary that they normally would not have had access to. Young minorities in particular are left behind in the process, often left to figure things out by trial and error or whatever information they can find on the internet. I am passionate about empowering young professionals from diverse backgrounds with the information they need to set themselves up for a better financial future! | Noticing the lack of attention that young professionals were getting from the traditional financial planning industry, I decided in November of last year to break free and affiliate myself with an RIA that allows me to run my own business with my own branding and client focus. Hence the birth of Build a Better Financial Future. I created a website and with it a blog where I provide educational pieces on matters relating to young professionals, such as student loan options, first time home buying, etc. I am also networking with other young professionals, which include members of the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce, Vegas Young Professionals, and Toastmasters. These young professionals are from a diverse background and I'm helping to raise awareness of the need for financial literacy. I have gotten quoted in articles published in Financial Advisor IQ, Investopedia, Credit Karma and many other online publications. I plan to continue writing as well as recording short informational videos in order to raise awareness about the need for financial planning and literacy, and I hope to be able to reach a young diverse audience and help empower them to make smart financial decisions. I feel that my work is just getting started and I'll continue to strive to get access to platforms that will help me deliver educational content to a wider, more diverse audience. |
| 2 | Stoy Hall | Wilson, Niki | Executive Director/Senior Wealth Advisor | Majors and Mondragon, LLC | 7 | Registered investment adviser | Male | African American/Black | No | To start I need to preface that Stoy, has been apart of two firms by the age of 29. He became a Managing Partner in his first firm by the age of 24 and built a team that became top 25 in overall production inside that firm. At the age of 28, he needed to switch focuses on being insurance first and going into the RIA realm as a fiduciary only for clients. This is when he was offered to be an Executive Director/Senior Wealth Advisor for the state of Iowa, which is our firms first expansion away from Houston. Now with that being laid out, Stoy's first accomplishment was to hire me, a young woman, to be his Associate Director and give me the ability to be head of our Employee Benefits Department as the Senior Benefits Consultant. In the 4 years I have known Stoy, his ability to relate to anybody and everybody has allowed him to be involved heavily in the Ankeny Young Professionals as the first Black President, first Black board member of the Emerging Leaders Collaborative and the founder of the together. movement. This movement was developed while he was mentoring with Will Keeps at an alternative school here in Des Moines. The movement is designed to go into communities and challenge people to come together to discuss real pressing issues, i.e. guns in schools, race inequality, gender inequality, transportation, sexual harassment, etc. As this movement grows, we will all see the inclusion to provides from all walks of life, race, gender, socioeconomic difference etc. With that being said, as a leader of the community Stoy is focused on getting Ankeny (first and foremost) away from the 97% white community and only 1% black, to be more accepting, including and welcoming of the black community and it all starts with housing and transportation. He has told me to join any movement or board that will promote woman being empowered as Stoy has empowered me throughout my career. | We all know that within our industry the amount of minorities and women is relatively low and I mean LOW. Stoy believes this stems from our schools, the lack of MONEY education and the lack of lower income families having the resources to learn how to get our of their poverty circle is a main driving force behind the failure of diversity and inclusion in our industry. Stoy came from the background of uneducated on money and the thought of most minorities that going Pro in any sport is the only way to become RICH. Since his time as a D1 Football player he has learned that this industry is mainly white men who came from money and knew about money while they were raised. He felt that in the lower income areas, people do not talk about MONEY, this stems from the fact that it is a point of pride. This sense of pride around money causes, violence, crime, drug use etc, which increase the poverty circle. Now with that being said, Stoy has already developed a network of people from the governor to community leader's to start implementing change with actual policies and not just words. He has an ability unlike any one else to interact with any person and make them feel comfortable and allow them to see their on hope and promise of an improved world. This transparency, whether it be on social media or in person, in Stoy's eyes, will drive our industry to broaden our reach into these communities not only as more advisers become diverse but also as more lower income people hire advisers to help them out of their situation. He also believes, all advisers need to have a minimum fee low enough to help these people get out of their downward spiral. "The more we can educate our communities the more our economy can grow, the more our economy grows the more wealth we all accumulate. " One of hi s many sayings he explains to EVERY single person he meets or speaks with. This passion is what will change our industry and it will start here with Majors and Mondragon, in Ankeny, IA, Houston, TX and Dallas, TX! |
| 3 | Divam Mehta | Mehta, Divam | President | Mehta Financial Group, LLC | 8 | Broker-dealer Affiliate | Male | South Asian | No | Though many have claimed to unlock the secrets of time and predict the unknown, certainty in an uncertain world is the rarest commodity. I believe that everyone deserves an opportunity to control their own financial destiny—instead of relying happenstance. Often times, however, they lack the specific skill set to create a disciplined plan to achieve their financial goals with confidence. In addition, being a first generation immigrant from India, I have seen the hardships that the lack of financial guidance can cause. My family and I moved to the United States when I was five years old. Upon arriving to an unknown land, my family and I faced countless obstacles: cultural assimilation, language, and financial illiteracy. Without proper financial guidance, many immigrant families’ aspirations often descend into chaos since they have close to zero assets and are naïve with regards to US financial structure. Fortunately my family did not plunge financially in downward spiral; however, several years were lost due to lack of financial awareness. With this in mind and experiencing it within my community, I chose to become a financial planner as an attempt to salvage the years that my community members would waste by not understanding the US tax structure, investment landscape, and available financial solutions. Having spent the early stages of my career with large institutions as a Research Analyst and serving as a Portfolio Manager for a wealth management and investment advisory firm, I launched Mehta Financial Group, LLC in 2010 in order to families along their financial journey by designing dynamic, actionable, and organic financial plans. Furthermore, applying my knowledge on an individual client basis is not sufficient. I continuously advocate financial awareness within my community by hosting pro-bono seminars so members of my community can build a solid foundation during their formative careers so their years are not squandered away. Since founding Mehta Financial Group, LLC in 2010, I have been recognized nationally as a Top 40 Under 40 Financial Advisor by InvestmentNews, featured on the cover of Proactive Advisor Magazine, featured and quoted by several local and national publications, and was the recipient of the Financial Planning Association’s Diversity Scholarship Award for serving diverse communities. I am also a guest speaker and panelist at industry events. I graduated from Florida State University with a dual Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics and Classics and continued my academic pursuits by earning an MBA in Finance and Investment Analysis from the University of Tampa. I am also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Practitioner and Chartered Financial Consultant®--exemplifying my commitment to the industry. | My personal definition of diversity is having equal opportunities for all members of society to succeed—not necessarily having equal outcome. The United States was founded on the principals of free enterprise, self determination, and the idea that your birth does should not dictate the outcome of your life. I believe it is safe to assume that families leave their homeland for the US for an opportunity to succeed—for themselves and their future generations. Working within this assumption, it is paramount that these diverse groups of individuals have financial advisors who they can relate to them culturally, linguistically, and ideologically. With that in mind, the US is home to individuals from over 200 countries, yet the personal financial planning profession has a scarce number of representations within its industry. Furthermore, it is imperative that the industry grow organically so advisors can actively identify fundamental principals of diverse communities and offer customized solutions When I attended the Financial Planning Association's National Conference in 2017 as the Diversity Scholarship Award winner, I advocated that the FPA be a flashpoint for fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion in the financial planning profession. As the FPA is one of the preeminent forums for financial planners, it is where the spirit of diversity can be inclusive and aspirational. In addition, I also recommend that the FPA create a platform for recruiting, educating, and empowering financial advisors of varying backgrounds to learn about different cultures. By pursuing an agenda that is clear, coherent, and transparent, minority financial planners need to elevate the need of diversity in the personal financial planning profession. Only by learning about different cultures and their nuances can the financial planning profession be truly all-encompassing and diverse. Not only have I advocated these ideas with the FPA, however I have also begun to take action on a grassroots level. I am in the process of creating a monthly forum for minority financial advisors that can become the beacon of hope for financial planning professionals who often feel alienated. For example, ethnic minorities—or even minorities as a whole—often do not have professional associations where they can share thoughts, tribulations, or concepts to elevate each other. Furthermore, I am hoping that my story inspires other individuals from similar circumstances to take the mantel of contributing not only to their careers, but also their diverse communities to ensure the next generation can thrive in the financial planning profession I believe that life without an overarching cause, is like a sea without a shore, where endless waves of effort will crash into the realm of nothingness. |
| 4 | Cameron Cobb | Coleman, Desiree | Associate Manager | Wells Fargo Advisors | 10 | Broker-dealer Affiliate | Male | African American/Black | No | Cameron is a Rising Star because of his commitment to ensure underrepresented groups receive financial education. A devoted husband and father, Cameron consistently goes out of his way to serve. In college, Cameron pursued at BS in Business Administration and in his spare time, was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha and promoted Diversity and Inclusion through mentoring, community service, leadership, and economic empowerment in low and moderate income communities. Cameron started his career as a Personal Banker in East St. Louis, IL and has maintained an ongoing passion for Financial Education. He joined 100 Black Men’s St. Louis chapter and introduced Wells Fargo’s Hands on Banking® financial education curriculum to support the organizations Economic Empowerment objectives. He was a leader and mentor for the organization’s Collegiate 100 program, which focuses on professional development and career progression. As a result, Cameron was awarded the 2017 Emerging Leader Award from 100 Black Men (https://100blackmen.org/) for his efforts to promote financial literacy and mentor youth about careers in finance service. More recently, Cameron volunteered as a mentor with College Bound of St. Louis to help aspiring high school students with resume writing, and job search. He has acted as an advocate for Wells Fargo’s Hands on Banking® platform and worked to identify opportunities to share the platform throughout the community. Among several Financial Education volunteer events, highlights include: • Focus on College Family Finance Series – Serves as a brand advocate, encouraging St. Louis magnet school families to invest in their child’s future by providing education about college savings plans and the Well Fargo/United Way 529 Match program. • City of St. Louis Hands on Banking® Financial Education Series – Via a partnership with the City Treasurer’s Office, Delivered multiple presentations at the City of St. Louis’ Financial Empowerment Center discussing key financial topics of interest to city employees, local residents, and high school students. Key topics included Paying for College, Budgeting, and Saving • Hands on Banking® Recurring On-Site Training Sessions – Organized in-person sessions to empower WFA home office and field team member to learn about and deliver Hands on Banking® sessions within their local communities. | Cameron is active with the Black/African American Connection Team Member Network (TMN) at Wells Fargo as a Diversity & Inclusion Advocacy Chair. He is also an ally and member of the Women’s TMN and The My Generations TMN. Cameron was also tapped to participate in a group of TMN leaders that met monthly to shares opportunities to partner with other TMNs to promote diversity. • Beyond Housing Green Rehab Effort – Cameron took on a leadership role in the Wells Fargo Black African American Team Member Network as the Chair of Marketplace Outcomes. In this capacity, he connected with Capital Markets, Insurance, and Private Client Group National Operations in rehab five houses for Beyond Housing, a nonprofit that rents and sells homes to low-income families, mostly in north St. Louis County. The volunteers devoted more than 300 hours to fixing up the properties. The Wells Fargo Housing Foundation and Wells Fargo Advisors Community Affairs contributed $20,000 toward rehabbing costs. Within weeks, the five houses were move-in ready for amazing families to move into. • YWCA Future Leaders Program – Through a partnership with the Women’s TMN and the B/AA, on multiple occasions, Cameron and other team members engaged in in-depth conversations with high performing college-aspiring scholars about planning for college, paying for education and what to expect upon transition into a career and adult life. • 100 Black Men National Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana – Participated on the activation team, served as a brand ambassador, and partnered across multiple business lines to deliver a ‘Financial Football’ version of Hands on Banking® (via a partnership with Visa) to over 150 high school and middle school mentees of the 100 Black Men organization. We also discussed delivered discussed what the next generation of team members looks like to 100+ members of the Collegiate 100 and promoted upcoming internships, career paths, and scholarship opportunities through Wells Fargo. • Diversity and Inclusion Summit – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville – Cameron partnered with the SIUE Student Life Center to Sponsor and deliver the opening address at the annual summit, attended by approx. 100 undergraduate and undergraduate students. Also staffed a table of WFA volunteers to discuss career pathing and D&I at Wells Fargo. Cameron has recently relocated to Detroit, MI with his family of 4 to assume the position of Associate Manager in the Great Lakes Market. |
| 5 | Nicholas Whalen | Whalen, Nicholas | Director of Client Performance Reporting | Fidelity Investments | 9 | Broker-dealer Affiliate | Male | Caucasian | Yes | At Fidelity Investments, we believe that diversity is a business imperative because diverse perspectives keep businesses relevant and innovating. One of the ways in which we do this is by engaging our employees to help us ensure that they are comfortable bringing their whole selves to work. Fidelity’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) play a large role in creating this culture of inclusion across the firm. Fidelity’s six ERGs are self-organized groups of employees with common interests relating to areas such as race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, or who share an affinity based on similar sets of experiences. Fidelity has seen a 40 percent increase in ERG memberships in the last two years, bringing total membership to over 18,000. Nick Whalen, director of client performance reporting, is a leader in these diversity efforts at Fidelity, working tirelessly on his core passion of supporting LGBT employees and customers as global lead of the LGBT Employee Resource Group. In the five years Nick has been involved in the ERG, he has helped to triple membership to more than 1,800 employees around the world. In this role, Nick led a team of volunteers who conducted analysis on how Fidelity can better reach its LGBT clients. The results led to a number of impactful changes, including improved training for employees in client-facing roles, the creation of thought leadership focused specifically on helping LGBT couples with financial planning concepts, hosting in-person seminars for LGBT clients in branches around the country, and Fidelity’s first-ever marketing campaign featuring same-sex couples. Nick has been featured in or written a number of articles circulated to the entire company to help promote and drive engagement among employees on these issues. Recently, Nick joined the board of Greater Boston PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). GBPFLAG is an organization whose mission is to teach children and family members how to be supportive when a friend or family member comes out as LGBT, with particular attention given to transgender children and their families. PFLAG is heavily involved in the local community across New England, giving presentations to middle schools and high schools that teach the next generation of citizens how to understand and value each other's differences. While LGBT causes are his main passion, Nick believes all diversity should be valued. To this end, he volunteers his time at Cathedral High School, a private, inner-city Catholic school with an extremely diverse population. Over 90% of students are Hispanic or African-American, with most coming from underprivileged communities. Nick taught financial literacy and worked on special research project with the administration to assess how SAT scores of students could be raised to increase college acceptance rates. Despite the headwinds the students face, the school boasts nearly 100% are accepted into a 2-year or 4-year college, with many students being the first in their families to receive an advanced degree. | Nick has been instrumental in helping Fidelity engage senior executives to support LGBT employees and causes, most notably when he worked with the Executive Sponsor of Pride to get the Senior Leadership team to visibly show their support as Allies to the LGBT community. Nick also meets with the executive ERG leaders and the head of Diversity & Inclusion on a quarterly basis to discuss efforts across all dimensions of diversity, share observations and recommendations. His strategy of effective networking with senior leaders and presenting factual arguments to the clear business benefits of supporting diversity efforts have helped Fidelity in its efforts to ensure employees are comfortable bringing their whole selves to work . Through his volunteer efforts to promote diversity, Nick has helped Fidelity establish an incredible network across the organization and within the Greater Boston business community. Nick worked with Fidelity’s Chief Marketing Officer on a project to understand how to more effectively reach diverse customer groups such as the LGBT community. With his help, the team ran a pilot marketing campaign to begin acquiring learnings on what works – and what doesn’t – when it comes to marketing to diverse customer groups. His guidance in this area has helped Fidelity kick off a number of additional projects to reach this group. In addition to promoting diversity at work, Nick has been involved in a non-profit called Pride in Our Workplace for seven years, an organization whose mission is to provide best practices for large, professional services companies across New England on creating an inclusive workplace for LGBT employees. In this role, he is able to network with senior leaders from other companies and share best practices for creating a culture that values diversity. He brings a unique perspective being a business leader rather than coming from an HR background. His role on the board is very hands-on, serving as the Head of Digital Solutions, with oversight of the organizations web presence and back-end technology solutions. When it comes to his ‘day job’, Nick is also a leader, managing a team of 12 individuals around the world with the responsibility for all of Fidelity’s print and digital client-facing retail investment performance reporting. Nick grew up in a small fishing and farming community in rural Maine, where diversity was not present or appreciated. |
| 6 | Cameo Roberson | Braxton, Lazetta | Portfolio Administrator | B|O|S | 9 | Registered investment adviser | Female | African American/Black | No | In the words of Geoff Brown, NAPFA CEO (I am a member of NAPFA's D&I committee and thought it best for Geoff to provide his first hand experience). Daphne Jordan and Cameo Roberson are the driving force behind NAPFA’s Diversity & Inclusion Initiative. They began their work on this effort after having a conversation at a NAPFA conference two years ago, realizing their shared objective of ensuring that NAPFA’s community becomes more open, diverse, and welcoming to its members and the financial planning profession at large. They worked with us to convene a steering committee to lead the organization’s efforts, and almost a year into its existence, their mission is to create a more inclusive community by becoming a beacon for diversity within financial planning by building and strengthening relationships between professionals and the diverse populations, they serve. Cameo and Daphne exhibit true passion for this effort, and have worked with the steering committee and the NAPFA Board to articulate a vision for the organization’s diversity initiative. Because of their commitment to change, NAPFA is poised to increase the level of dialogue on issues related to diversity in the association and profession. They’ve encouraged us to host sessions about diversity at NAPFA’s conferences, build a virtual community dedicated to topics of diversity & inclusion, and have begun to explore partnerships with other organizations in order to strengthen the work they’re leading. They continue to find new ways to make NAPFA a more welcoming community, and are focused on not only discussing the things that make this topic important, but on finding ways to make actionable changes to attract more diverse members to join NAPFA because they see it as a welcoming community where they can grow their careers. | Cameo Roberson, AAMS® Co-Chair of the NAPFA Diversity & Inclusion Initiative has had key and evolving roles in wealth management. She brings a strong background in RIA operations and financial planning knowledge to her professional background. Recognizing the overall lack of diversity within the industry, and as a member of the Financial Planning Association, Silicon Valley chapter Cameo has worked to bring more diverse professionals to association events, giving them access to local RIAs through firm tours. Cameo has a passion for financial literacy and conducts workshops in her community and improving initiatives that focus on increasing diversity within the industry. As a woman of color, Cameo brings a practical and authentic viewpoint of ways to tackle the diversity issue. On her own path to greater heights in the industry, Cameo has a desire to educate and help simplify the path of success for other diverse advisors and partner with firms who wish to increase their diversity efforts. Cameo is a San Francisco Bay Area native, volunteers in her community for several non-profits and is a die-hard basketball fan. Go Warriors! This quote from Cameo in PS Mag (https://psmag.com/economics/where-are-the-women-and-minorities-in-financial-planning) speaks to her commitment to the profession: "When you don't see other people who look like you, you start to wonder: 'Can I really do this? Is this something that I can be successful in?'" Roberson says. "That was another driving force for me—being the mentor that I didn't have." |
| 7 | Pamela Brylski | Brylski, Cezary | Vice President | Goldman Sachs | 4 | Registered investment adviser | Female | African American/Black | No | Pamela Brylski continues and expands on a legacy of hard work and resilience that began with her parents nearly four decades ago. Her parents defined the American dream: two young people who left Nigeria with no money, but with the hope of a better future and a strong work ethic. During college, Pamela served as a White House intern where she took the opportunity to engage with the Special Assistant to African Affairs and assisted that team with executing on programs designed to coach female entrepreneurs in the rural areas, which was a key focus of the initiatives developed during that year’s G20 conference. Since joining Goldman Sachs, Pamela has become one of the few women to start and lead a team in the investment management division at the firm. She is also the only African American to lead a team, and the only female African American professional in her office. Within two years, she had brought on the largest client in the region and broken a host of other records, all while building a business based on authenticity, tenacity, and service. She is a leader in the Black Steering Committee and recent chair of the Black Investment Management Conference. Given the challenges in diverse hiring in her industry, she partnered with Sponsors of Educational Opportunity, where she is an alumnus, to start a ambassadorship program where she leads recruitment and mentorship of SEO participants throughout Texas. This involves liaising with the program to recruit students from universities as well as working closely with leaders at various firms to increase their diverse hires. Furthermore, Pamela started two organizations focused on promoting women from a professional and health standpoint: MOMs in Finance (MIFs) in 2016, and Women Investing in Health & Nutrition (WIHN) last year. She started MIFs after having her son because like her, other women in her industry were facing challenges balancing professional success with motherhood. WIHN was inspired by the passing of her mother, who had an early onset of diabetes during pregnancy that led to kidney disease. She was shocked to learn that black women in particular are more susceptible to disease and long-term health complications both during and after pregnancy. WIHN focuses on women educating and investing in the health of other women by providing nutritional and wellness coaching to all women despite their economic backgrounds. Both MIFs and WIHN have helped filled a demonstrable void in our society, offering a forum where women can be a source of education to others and provide accountability. | Pamela was recently awarded Power 50 by the National Diversity Council. The award highlighted her contributions to Goldman Sachs by leading the Black steering committee in its initiative for recruiting and promoting black professionals, but also the months of work she put forth in the leadership of the global black investment management conference. Furthermore, she has led an initiative within her division to review and enhance their ability to partner with and service clients in areas such as Mexico and many countries throughout Africa. In the community, she noticed a demonstrable void in the diverse representation of financial professionals, she then reached out to board members and staff at the Sponsors of Educational Opportunity to create a local ambassadorship program focused on recruitment and coaching, which she now leads in Texas. The program matches SEO alumni from different firms to lead the recruitment of diverse professionals, and it provides opportunities to coach students who are currently in the program or recent graduates. Moreover, Pamela has been an active voice in transforming the recruitment and retention policies at her office. Many of her counterparts questioned how a woman who lacked a financial education or generational connections in the Houston society would succeed in her business. Over the past few years, however, they have seen how her differences fuel her drive for success, and her presence and example has expanded their definition for success in this business and beyond. She has used those experiences to become a recruitment captain for her office and the firm, and ensures that when any candidate is submitted for a position, that rather than focus simply on education and relatable work experience, her colleagues are able to fully understand the life experiences and contributions of these candidates and how those factors can really enrich these candidate's potential for success in this business. Because of Pamela's hard word and focus in this area, the hiring numbers for her office as it relates to diverse candidates has quadrupled in the past two years. |
| 8 | Daphne Jordan | Braxton, Lazetta | Wealth Advisor | Wealth Advisor | 5 | Registered investment adviser | Female | Latino/Hispanic | No | Daphne came to the financial field in 2013 as a career-changer. Proper advising involves many skills ranging from technical knowledge to practical application. Daphne brings her own mix of experiences to the table each time she sits across from a client. She is unfazed by being the only person of color in a room. However, after entering the field, she started wondering if others were aware of financial planning as a viable career option. During a discussion with Cameo Roberson, another person of color that she met at a napfa May 2016 conference, she expressed a few of these thoughts. Turns out—Cameo had similar sentiments! Together, they decided to determine solutions. For several months, Cameo, located in California and Daphne in Texas talked regularly to explore options. Ultimately, instead of trying to create a new wheel, they decided to join forces with the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). Around November 2016, they had the opportunity to share ideas with Geoff Brown and Nikki Palluzzi. The timing was divine since NAPFA was looking for someone to head up a Diversity & Inclusion Initiative. The journey of building NAPFA’s D&I Initiative became a brick by brick endeavor. Presented with a charter proposal from NAPFA, Daphne set to create a blueprint that would divide up the larger task into digestible stages. She envisioned pieces such as: generating key questions to address, viewing how the CFP® Board, Quad A and FPA approached the issue, determining lessons learned from other similar initiatives, allowing CFP® Program Directors, selected firms and current diverse advisors to share their thoughts, figuring out how to integrate this feedback, and more. Along the way, a Steering Committee joined in to offer input and to add manpower. Daphne and Cameo lead these monthly meetings. The end goal for the D&I Initiative is to create a national, virtual and collaborative community where aspiring and existing advisors of color can engage, discuss and grow. It will be the first of its kind. NAPFA’s D&I virtual community is set to become live during the summer of 2018. It will include discussion areas, educational content and more. Once live, Daphne will stay involved to assist with ongoing management for success. On a firm-level, Daphne is slated to mentor an intern from a diverse background during the summer of 2018. An initiative is a fresh approach to an issue. Daphne realizes that no one person is an island. It will take time and community for wins of a diverse and inclusive financial field. She’s committed to this end. Already a leader, now in the area of excellence in diversity and inclusion, Daphne is definitely a rising star! | • May 2013 – May 2014: Foundation Communities Financial Coach o Coached low-income individuals and families. • January 2014 – November 2017: Austin FPA Career Development Chair o Responsible for organizing the yearly career day event. This event connects interested career changers and college students in the Central Texas area with firms looking for staff or interns. • January 2017 – present: Co-chair of NAPFA’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiative o Created a blueprint of action, worked collaboratively with Steering Committee. Based on individual strengths and interests, worked to successfully delegate tasks to committee, will ensure implementation. • April 2017: Contributed to article “6 Money Tips For Women That Are Actually Relatable, According to Female Financial Advisors of Color” • January 2018: NAPFA Study Group Leader o Work with members to determine unique topics and find appropriate, experienced speaker. o Communicate meeting details with study group membership. o Coordinate study group sessions. • 2018 President-elect Austin FPA chapter o Will lead Board of Directors for the 200+ member Austin chapter to ensure a positive learning and networking experience for members and sponsors. Reflections from Geoff Brown, NAPFA CEO Daphne Jordan and Cameo Roberson are the driving force behind NAPFA’s Diversity & Inclusion Initiative. They began their work on this effort after having a conversation at a NAPFA conference two years ago, realizing their shared objective of ensuring that NAPFA’s community becomes more open, diverse, and welcoming to its members and the financial planning profession at large. They worked with us to convene a steering committee to lead the organization’s efforts, and almost a year into its existence, their mission is to create a more inclusive community by becoming a beacon for diversity within financial planning by building and strengthening relationships between professionals and the diverse populations, they serve. Cameo and Daphne exhibit true passion for this effort, and have worked with the steering committee and the NAPFA Board to articulate a vision for the organization’s diversity initiative. Because of their commitment to change, NAPFA is poised to increase the level of dialogue on issues related to diversity in the association and profession. They’ve encouraged us to host sessions about diversity at NAPFA’s conferences, build a virtual community dedicated to topics of diversity & inclusion, and have begun to explore partnerships with other organizations in order to strengthen the work they’re leading. They continue to find new ways to make NAPFA a more welcoming community, and are focused on not only discussing the things that make this topic important, but on finding ways to make actionable changes to attract more diverse members to join NAPFA because they see it as a welcoming community where they can grow their careers. |
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