The mission of the SFA DEI Committee is to advise the board on the development and advancement of standards which foster meaningful opportunities for underrepresented diverse professionals across all facets of the structured finance industry, and also facilitate the convening and support of diverse professionals, the sharing of organizational best practices, and the advocacy of policies that enhance representation, impact and exposure of diverse professionals in leadership roles within the industry.
Hear from Kevin Chavers of Blackrock and Val Kay of Lending Club, the SFA Executive Committee Sponsors of SFA’s DEI initiative
We (Kevin and Val) enthusiastically welcomed the chance to work together and launch the SFA DEI Initiative . We are both passionate advocates for promoting diversity and belonging in our industry and feel a duty to act, to not only enhance the experience of underrepresented minorities in our industry, but also, to strengthen our organizations. Moreover, we are excited and honored to work together on this vital issue and leverage our long, close and respectful friendship. We are also thrilled that SFA will serve as the fulcrum for our the industry to come together to make meaningful changes, establish aspirational goals and metrics to measure and engage a vibrant, energetic and welcoming community of diverse professionals. So come join us with this important initiative. Add your leadership help effect meaningful change. We NEED YOU!
Kevin Chavers BlackRock
Managing Director SFA Executive Committee
Val Kay LendingClub
Chief Capital Officer SFA Executive Committee
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Join the SFA DEI Steering Committee
The Steering Committee will work closely with SFA leadership and will serve an active role in shaping the goals, objectives, and priorities of SFA’s DEI initiative. Key focus areas will include aggregating best practices, conceptualizing engagement opportunities, and ultimately designing our industry’s “network of networks.”
SFA’s DEI membership is open to all industry participants, regardless of SFA membership status, and is complimentary to join. By signing up, you will be notified of the latest news, developments, and networking opportunities in conjunction with the initiative.
Foster a deep appreciation among participants in the structured finance industry around the value of tangible, visible, and demonstrable diversity at our firms – at all levels, and particularly at the senior levels – and promote understanding of how such diversity increases the industry’s ability to serve the real economy.
Enhance access and long-term success in the structured finance industry for people of color, women, and LGBTQ+.
Establish and hold ourselves as an organization accountable for real change, including instituting key performance metrics and sharing these results broadly.
Create a community where industry participants share best practices, ideas, and challenges so that we can all learn from one another and make progress together.
Conduct regular research analyzing our industry’s impact on communities of color, and work to ensure that progress is made to close the inequality gap in credit access to these communities across the country.
Read SFA CEO Michael Bright’s February 2020 Op-Ed in Thrive Global about how more diversity in Wall Street’s C-suites could be a key ingredient in preventing the next financial crisis.
Mehrsa Baradaran, UC Irvine Law professor and author of the above titled book, explores how a segregated economy limits access to capital in communities of color and perpetuates a cycle of poverty.
Marco A. Davis, President & CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), and SFA CEO Michael Bright discuss the impact on the Hispanic community of COVID-19, institutional bias, and the ongoing protests, as well as how our industry can help Latin youth gain access to jobs in finance.
Since 1980, SEO Career has provided training and resources to over 7,000 underrepresented students nationwide, allowing them to secure positions of leadership across Wall Street and Corporate America. This video highlights the successes achieved by their alumni, as well as the progress being made toward creating a more equitable society and diverse
When big banks see a benefit in helping companies recruit more diverse directors, it’s a sign that there are not just morals at play — there is money at stake, too.
SFA announced today it has established a fund to provide scholarships to eligible students attending the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) who are pursuing an undergraduate or graduate finance, accounting, or economics degree in the School of Business and Public Administration.
A coalition of more than 30 chief executive officers from companies including Merck & Co., International Business Machines Corp. and Nike Inc. are backing a startup that will connect employers with Black workers.
For all the good intentions raised by corporations after George Floyd was killed in May, Black employees do not feel any more welcome at work. Two recent studies, reported by Axios, cite the challenges Black employees feel.
Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA), the next Chair or Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee in the 117th Congress, is at odds with Nasdaq Inc. surrounding their request to require thousands of companies listed on its stock exchange to include women, racial minorities, and LGBT individuals on their boards.
Companies are putting a strong focus on recruiting diverse teams these days, and that's a good thing. It puts them on the path to better innovation, stronger financial performance, and provides the potential to build a strong high-potential candidate pool for future success.
Although the effort is there, companies may be missing out on just how important inclusion is to workplace culture. Without a diverse and inclusive culture, certain employees may head for the door.
This year, Latina Equal Pay Day falls on Oct. 29, marking how far into the new year Latinas have to work to earn the same pay white, non-Hispanic men earned the previous year.
When translated into a dollar amount, Latinas today earn, on average, just $0.55 for every dollar earned by White men, leaving them with a pay gap that surpasses that of women in all other racial groups.
S&P Global, in partnership with AARP, examined Corporate America’s family leave policies to understand the relationship between family-friendly benefits and female representation in the workforce and senior management.
SFA’s DEI initiative is a collaborative effort between SFA’s Board of Directors, membership, executive leadership, and the broader industry. Associated programming is funded through annual SFA membership dues, and the DEI Steering Committee works with SFA to create and curate educational content and networking opportunities.
If you are interested in getting involved, please email [email protected].
The Steering Committee works closely with SFA leadership and serves an active role in shaping the goals, objectives, and priorities of SFA’s DEI initiative. Key focus areas will include aggregating best practices, conceptualizing engagement opportunities, and ultimately designing our industry’s “network of networks.”
SFADEI Steering Committee Co-Chair
Kevin Chavers
BlackRock
SFA DEI Steering Committee Co-Chair
Val Kay
Lending Club
Ashlea Bonds
Andrew Davidson & Co.
Mark Michael
Bank of America
Aisha Greene
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
Lisa Hernandez
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Alberta Knowles
Ernst & Young LLP
Mike Brown
J.P. Morgan
Chris Abate
Redwood Trust
Chrissi Johnson
Rock Central | Quicken Loans
Greg Weston
Winston & Strawn LLP
Not Pictured:
Adama Kah, Kah Capital; Yared Yawand-Wossen, Morgan Stanley
