Investopedia names Suzanne Shank as a Legendary Black Investor
As we continue to honor Black Leaders during Black History Month and beyond, we’d like to congratulate our President & CEO, Suzanne Shank, for being recognized by Investopedia as one of 10 Legendary Black Investors.
Legendary Black Investors
These 10 men and women are helping blaze a trail for future Black investors
Black individuals, in the United States as well as in other countries, have long faced significant hurdles when it comes to investing—and to finance in general. These hurdles include lending discrimination in the U.S. and racism in the insurance industry, among others, which have held back people of color.
The investors on this list have made extraordinary achievements within the investing industry as well as groundbreaking accomplishments. All are notable for their expertise and influence, both within the industry and in the outside world.
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Suzanne Shank has almost singlehandedly revolutionized the world of municipal bond underwriting. Like other investors on this list, Shank didn’t start out in finance but initially studied STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), completing a B.S. in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology before earning an MBA in finance from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
After graduating from Wharton, Shank gained experience at a number of Wall Street firms before starting her own business. In 1996 she co-founded Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co.,, which experienced a meteoric rise, becoming the first minority- and/or women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) to be a top 10 U.S. municipal bond underwriter.
In 2019, Shank oversaw the merger of the firm she had founded (and led as chairperson and CEO) with Williams Capital Group to form Siebert Williams Shank. This firm, with Shank as president and CEO, now employs some of the most experienced talent in the world of municipal underwriting and has become a titan of the industry.
Shank has also been keen to inspire and support the next generation of Black investors. She is a member of Wharton’s Graduate Advisory Board and Spelman College’s Board of Trustees, where she focuses on providing access to underrepresented minorities.
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Read the full article here.
Updated February 14, 2024
By Kiara Taylor
Reviewed by Charlene Rhinehart
Fact checked by Suzanne Kvilhaug