Cross Sector Collaboration – Financial Literacy Month 2019

As I reflect on the recent NYC Mayoral Service Recognition ceremony and the NationSwell Summit, I am inspired by examples of cross sector collaboration among many organizations. In celebration of Financial Literacy Month, I would like to highlight a few organizations and their leaders that I have the privilege to collaborate with this April.

SIFMA Foundation – I am grateful to Melanie Mortimer and her team at the SIFMA Foundation for supporting me and Cindy Feng to engage EY volunteers to serve as virtual essay judges for InvestWrite, a national writing competition. This year’s writing competition is focused on sustainable investing, a long-term approach that incorporates environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into the investment process. More than 120 EY volunteers from 60 cities around the world enjoyed this unique opportunity to remotely support elementary, middle and high school students by reviewing creative essays and offer feedback.

PENCIL – I am in awe of Patricia Minaya, the founding principal of the Urban Assembly School of Business for Young Women. She has built impactful programs with iMentor, Junior Achievement, PENCIL and the Women’s Bond Club to support her students. It was an honor to join Joy Taylor to serve as Principals for a Day and engage bright students on the topic of finance and college planning at her school. Many thanks to Gregg Betheil and his team at PENCIL for hosting more than 160 business and civic leaders at more than 140 schools across New York City during this unique event.

Junior Achievement of New York – I am privileged to work with Diana Lee and her team at JA New York in empowering more than 60 EY volunteers to serve as online judges for the JA New York’s Business Plan Competition. This competition connects entrepreneurial lessons to the real world experience of creating a business plan. More than 150 high school student teams from NYC, Long Island, and the lower Hudson Valley work hard with volunteers to enter the business plan competition this spring.

On this final day of National Volunteer Month, I would like to salute the SIFMA Foundation, PENCIL and JA New York and many great organizations for providing innovative opportunities to engage volunteers to promote financial literacy.

The views expressed by the author are personal and not necessarily those of Ernst & Young LLP or other members of the global EY organization.