1,200 Participate as Black Women’s Agenda Hosts Secretary Hillary Clinton & Honors Five Women Influencing America’s Future

First Lady of City of New York City Chirlane McCray & Suzanne Shank, Co-Founder of Nation’s Largest African-American, Latino and Woman-Owned Investment Bank, Among Those Honored

The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc. (BWA) hosted more than 1,200 business, political and community leaders in Washington, D.C., as attendees heard from former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and honored five women influencers at the organization’s 39th Annual Symposium & Awards Luncheon. Founded in 1977, BWA is a non-profit committed to empowering and enriching the lives of African-American women and their families.

At a morning session, Secretary Clinton told the gathering, “We are going to invest in communities that have been left out and left behind. Urban reinvestment and restructuring that is going to give more people decent housing, access to jobs, the transportation to get to those jobs, rural communities that are too often ignored and denied the services they need.”

Honorees included: Suzanne Shank, Chairwoman and CEO of Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co., L.L.C.(SCSCO), the nation’s largest African-American, Latino and woman-owned investment bank, who was recognized with the BWA’s 2016 Economics and Business Award; Chirlane McCray, First Lady of New York City and Chair of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, who received BWA’s Health Award; Rep. Joyce Hannah Beatty (Ohio-D), presented with BWA’s President’s Award for her advocacy in the U.S. House of Representatives; Michelle M. Ebanks, President at Essence Communications, Inc., accepted BWA’s Education Award; and Gloria Gary Walker, a senior studying at the University of Maryland, presented with the Bright Futures award.

Introduced by Vivian Pickard, former GM executive and BWA Board member, Ms. Shank thanked the BWA for this important recognition.

“I am honored to be acknowledged by the Black Women’s Agenda for the contributions that Siebert Cisneros Shank & Company has made since its founding 20-years ago,” said Suzanne Shank. “I have reached this point in my career because the roads were paved by women before me breaking the paradigm of Wall Street male dominance. I also stand here today enjoying this wonderful recognition because of the confidence hundreds of municipalities and corporations have placed in Siebert Cisneros Shank, a majority black woman owned firm, to lead deals as large as $1 billion. I thank my 80 employees who strive to outperform the competition and do so day in and day out to make me look good by the wonderful work that they do.”

Ms. Shank also acknowledged the need to give back to the less fortunate and to mentor young people.

“I was startled to read recently that 32 million students live in low income households in the United States and that these students are 6 times more likely to drop out of school than their peers in higher income households,” Ms. Shank said. “The onus is on us to continue to mentor, make connections, provide a hand up to young black women just as we have been given a hand to continue this ongoing battle for equality.”

SCSCO ranks among the top 10 in seven key infrastructure categories, according to Thomson Reuters.

It earned the distinction in 2010 of becoming the first minority-owned firm to rank among the top 10 senior managers of municipal bonds, as ranked by Thomson Reuters. Last year, it ranked third nationally in overall deal size for Negotiated Municipal Senior Managers and No. 12 for all issuances. For the 18th year in a row, it is America’s No. 1 MWBE firm.

Photo ID from left to right:

Vivian Rogers Pickard, Immediate Past President, The Black Women's Agenda, Inc.; Suzanne Shank, Gwainevere Catchings Hess, President, The Black Women's Agenda, Inc.