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Women in Finance Academy

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Empowering the next generation of women leaders in finance

Gain the skills to thrive in a dynamic finance career, along with a supportive community that empowers women to lead with confidence.

The Women in Finance Academy offers programming outside the classroom that will help students explore potential career paths, build skills for success, and connect with other female students, alumni, and professionals in the field.

To join, you must enroll in FIN 394: Women in Finance. This course functions as both a class and community designed to help you explore career paths, build essential skills, and connect with mentors and peers. It is open to all Gies Business students interested in advancing women’s careers in finance. The course features:

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Panels

Attend Career panels, where you’ll hear from women professionals about diverse finance roles and real-world experiences

Seminars

Learn at skill-building seminars to strengthen your technical and professional skills

Networking

Connect with alumni, employers, and fellow students

"I joined Women in Finance to learn more about finance and career opportunities while fostering hard and soft skills, and to join a supportive community of women in finance. Through my time in Women in Finance, I have been able to expand my network through professionals, networking events, and guest speakers along with developing leadership and communication skills through workshops in class."

Khadeejah Rasheed, Women in Finance student

"I joined Women in Finance to find a community of like-minded women and gain industry and financial exposure. During my time in the organization, I developed leadership skills and strengthened professional skills for postgrad.”

Alexis Wendel, Women in Finance student

Julia Hart - Director of Women in Finance

Meet The Director

Dr. Julia Hart is the Director of the Women in Finance Academy at Gies College of Business and facilitates the Fintech Practicum, helping students bridge classroom learning with real‑world application. She also serves as the Country Director for U.S. Operations at Neptune North, a joint venture between Oliver Wyman and Rokos Capital Management. She brings a rich background in technology leadership and innovation, including more than eight years as the Site Director for the COUNTRY Financial DigitaLab at Research Park. Before that, she spent 12 years at the University of Illinois in several key roles, among them Director of IT for Facilities and Services and Director of IT and Institutional Research for the Graduate College.

She earned both her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois, where her research explored how knowledge‑management technologies are adopted and used within higher‑education workplaces.

Join Women in Finance

Develop leadership skills and build your network. Click below to Email Dr. Julia Hart, Director of Women in Finance.

Email Dr. Julia Hart