The American College State Farm® Center For Women And Financial Services Names New Board Members

BRYN MAWR, Pa., March 3, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American College State Farm^® Center for Women and Financial Services has named eight new members to its advisory board, adding an even deeper level of expertise to its mission of promoting the advancement of women in the financial services profession.

The new members bring a wide range of experience, skills and insight from across the financial services sector. One thing they all have in common, says Center Director, Jocelyn Wright, is a passion for advancing gender diversity in the financial services profession.

"First and foremost these talented individuals share an intense enthusiasm for increasing the number of women in what has been for decades a male-dominated profession," Wright said. "These exciting new appointments will ensure that the Women's Center continues to be an innovative resource in the financial services field. With their added insight we hope to open up more opportunities for women to become advisors and leaders and ultimately have a greater  impact on female consumers and their financial well-being."

The Center's advisory board is composed of prominent leaders, researchers, thought leaders, practitioners, and educators in the financial planning profession. Wright says the new board members will play a key role in suggesting ideas for research projects, providing educational content, and advising on many other Center activities and strategic directions.

The new board members are:

Nilufer R. Ahmed, PhD, Senior Research Director for LIMRA. Dr. Ahmed is responsible for conducting and reporting on research related to unique markets such as women, multicultural groups, and the generations. She has authored reports on marketing to Hispanics, Chinese Americans, Asian Indians and African Americans, women in the U.S. and Canada, and Generations X and Y.

Eleanor Blayney, CFP^®, Consumer Advocate for the Certified Financial Planner^® Board of Standards. In this role, Blayney reaches out to consumers to help them understand how financial planning and CFP^® professionals can improve their lives. The author of "Women's Worth", a book about how women can make the most of their financial lives, Blayney worked with individual clients for more than 20 years to help them articulate and plan for their financial goals.

Gale Britton, Vice President, Diversity & Inclusion for Prudential Advisors, a unit of Prudential Insurance, a division of Prudential Financial, Inc. In this role, she has responsibility for all aspects of the creation and implementation of diversity and inclusion strategy.

Angela Kahrmann, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer — Field Services and Head of the Women Advisors Network for Voya Financial Advisors. With over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, Kahrmann is responsible for operations providing services and business practice solutions to more than 2,400 field and phone financial professionals.

Bridgette M. LaQue, Vice President and Associate Regional Manager for Morgan Stanley's Mid-Atlantic Private Banking team, servicing six advisory complexes throughout the region. She joined the Morgan Stanley Private Bank in 2013 following 10 years with Bank of America – Merrill Lynch's wealth management division.

Suly Salazar-Layton, an innovative and strategic Program Director with comprehensive experience in marketing, operations, business development, program creation, and coaching. Salazar-Layton helps insurance and financial services companies increase their sales through innovative marketing and practice management.

Quinetta Roberson, PhD, Fred J. Springer Endowed Chair in Business Leadership at Villanova University. Having earned a doctorate in Organizational Behavior from the University of Maryland, Dr. Roberson has more than 15 years of experience teaching courses and workshops globally on leadership, talent management and diversity.

Suzanne Siracuse, Vice President at Crain Communications and the publisher of InvestmentNews and Investmentnews.com. Published weekly, InvestmentNews is the leading information source for financial advisors. Siracuse's leadership responsibilities include the newspaper, website, e-newsletters, webcasts, research, data, and conferences.

About The American College of Financial Services
The American College of Financial Services is the nation's largest non-profit educational institution devoted to financial services. Holding the highest level of academic accreditation, The College has served as a valued business partner to banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies and others since 1927. The American College faculty represents some of the financial services industry's foremost thought leaders. For more information, visit TheAmericanCollege.edu.

About The American College State Farm^® Center for Women and Financial Services
The American College State Farm^® Center for Women and Financial Services serves to promote the advancement of women in the financial services profession through research, education, and awareness. To learn more about the Center, visit WomensCenter.TheAmericanCollege.edu.

SOURCE The American College of Financial Services