On September 19th, 2024, we celebrated financial empowerment at our third annual Make Her Mark event! With the tremendous support of our 100+ person Host Committee, 23 generous corporate sponsors, and 300+ event
attendees, we raised $2.8 million for women and girls in under-resourced communities in Massachusetts!
At the start of the program, CEO and Co-Founder Christina Gordon shared a snapshot of the Foundation’s impact since its inception in 2017. With $8.3 million in committed grants and 38 grantee partners, the Foundation has positively impacted over 16,400 Massachusetts women and girls. However, the Foundation’s requests for funding continue to outpace grant commitments. With only 1.4% of Massachusetts philanthropic dollars going to women’s and girls’ nonprofits, the need for funding continues to grow – and the 2024 Make Her Mark event raised essential funds for this need.
Inspiring Insights from Abigail P. Johnson
A highlight of the evening was hearing from the CEO of one of the world’s largest organizations, Fidelity Investments. Abigail P. Johnson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Investments, spoke to the crowd about the importance of financial literacy and empowerment for women.
“When women are financially secure, they can invest in their families and their communities, which can spur economic growth and create thriving societies.”
– Abigail P. Johnson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Investments
Cookie Sales: A Recipe for Financial Empowerment
Alixia, a top Girl Scout cookie seller, shared with the crowd how her experience with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts (GSEMA) increased her confidence and provided her the opportunities to practice entrepreneurship. The Women’s Foundation of Boston has awarded three grants to GSEMA, supporting the Girl Scout experience which builds courage, confidence, and character in girls. Alixia spoke about a range of fun and interactive Girl Scout activities that have shaped her personal growth and taught her valuable life lessons – from camping and learning archery to developing a business plan for her cookie sales.
“What I also learned when selling cookies is financial literacy and managing my own business. I learned how to set a plan to reach my goals.”
– Alixia, Girl Scout Cadette with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts
Who Empowered You?
The program concluded with an inspiring panel discussion featuring the Foundation’s Advisory
Council co-chair, Nora Yousif CFPⓇ, CDFA, as moderator, alongside fellow financial leaders Nicole Obi, President and CEO, Black Economic Council of MA and Foundation Advisory Council, and Kelly Young,
CEO of Acadian Asset Management. Together, they explored the transformative impact of economically empowering women and girls, emphasizing how this investment uplifts not only their own lives, but also their families and communities. At the end of the conversation, the panelists and audience collectively considered the female role models in their lives – mothers, grandmothers, mentors – who broke the cycle of financial disempowerment for them.
Foundation Partnership With Analog Devices Multiplies Impact
For the third consecutive year, Make Her Mark signature sponsor Analog Devices (ADI) amplified the event’s fundraising success. The Women’s Foundation of Boston is fortunate to have a longstanding partnership with ADI, a local tech industry leader who aims to empower women and girls both within their organization and the broader communities they serve.
ADI sponsored the Make Her Mark MVP Reception, where Rebecca Diaz, Vice President of Finance and Treasurer of ADI, joined Foundation CEO Christina Gordon for an engaging Q&A session. Reception guests enjoyed views of Fenway Park from the Truly Terrace while hearing Rebecca’s perspectives on women’s financial empowerment.
“Part of being financially empowered is being true to yourself. Embrace change and stay resilient on your journey.”
– Rebecca Diaz, Vice President of Finance and Treasurer of Analog Devices
All Donations Make a Difference
The third annual Make Her Mark event was a remarkable success with $2.8 million raised that will go directly to women’s and girls’ serving nonprofits as part of the Women’s Foundation of Boston’s future grantmaking. If you were not able to attend this year’s Make Her Mark, consider making a donation today!
“Knowledge is key. If you know how to help, then I think that you should try to help other people.”
– Marla, Women’s Money Matters Program Graduate
Special Event Acknowledgments
- Event Co-Chairs: Agustina Lee; Donna Quirk; Jill Roberts
- Host Committee Co-Chairs: Susan Littlefield, Chair, Board of Directors; Cherise Bransfield; Nora Yousif, Co-Chairs, Advisory Council
- And our incredible Host Committee https://e.givesmart.com/events/B5v/page/HostCommitteeMembers/)
- Generous Fund-A-Need Match: Liz and Phill Gross
- Emcee: Paula Ebben, Anchor, WBZ-TV & CBS News Boston
- Guest Speakers: Abigail P. Johnson, Rebecca Diaz of Analog Devices, Nora Yousif, CFP, CDFA, of RBC Wealth Management,
Nicole Obi of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, Kelly Young of Acadian Asset Management, and Alixia of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts - Signature Sponsor: Analog Devices
- Platinum Sponsors: Fidelity Investments; RBC Wealth Management
- Silver Sponsors: Eastern Bank Foundation, PSG, TwinFocus
- Bronze Sponsors: Acadian Asset Management, Brown Advisory, PURE Insurance, SCS Financial Services, Symetra, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
- Friend Sponsors: BBH Center for Women & Wealth, ConRes, Dedham Savings
- In-Kind Sponsor: Martignetti Companies
Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, was named President and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 2016. She is also Director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Previously, she was the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean and Professor of Medicine of Weill Cornell Medicine and Provost for Medical Affairs of Cornell University. Dr. Glimcher is a distinguished immunologist, widely renowned for her work in one of the most promising areas of cancer research.
Linda Henry is the CEO of the Boston Globe Media Partners. She is a co-founder of HUBweek, a civic collaboration between the Boston Globe, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and MIT that explores the future being built at the intersection of art, science and technology. Linda is also an early-stage impact investor, an Emmy-Award winning television producer with two shows currently airing, and a community activist. She serves as a director of the Red Sox Foundation, is a trustee of the Liverpool Football Club Foundation, chair of the Boston Globe Foundation, and chairman of the John W. Henry Family Foundation. In addition, she is a founder of the Boston Public Market, serves on the advisory board of MassChallenge, and is on the board of the Engine at MIT. She earned a BS from Babson College and her MS from MIT.
Bekah Salwasser joined the Red Sox Foundation as the Executive Director in January of 2018. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Brown University and has extensive experience in philanthropy and both professional and semi-professional sports. After four years working as Community Relations Director for the Boston Celtics, Bekah went on to lead Scholar Athletes as its Executive Director, a program that supports public high school athletes with both their athletic and academic achievements. Earlier in her career, Bekah served as a professional soccer player for the Boston Breakers and as Executive Director of the Charlestown Lacrosse and Learning Center.
Kimberly Fay Boucher is a business executive who has driven high performance organizations in technology, consumer products and social enterprise/nonprofit industries over the past 25 years. She is currently the Technology Commercialization Business Leader for the CTO at Analog Devices, where she is responsible for driving new technologies from incubation stages to successful businesses. Kim is also a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where she teaches Disciplined Entrepreneurship in the Martin Trust Center. She holds a BS in Management Industrial Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is a NCAA Academic All-American Women’s Basketball player and has been inducted into the WPI Hall of Fame.
Ami Kuan Danoff (Co-Founder and CFO) is a private investor and the trustee of a foundation. She is a Harvard Quantum Founder and a member of the Harvard FAS Dean’s Council. Ami earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in Visual and Environmental Studies and holds a dual master’s degree in Applied Economics and International Finance from the Sloan School of Management at MIT. She was a portfolio manager in global equities at Putnam Investments and co-manager of the Putnam International New Opportunities Fund, and also worked as an international equities analyst at Fidelity Investments.
Christina Heenan Suh holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in English and Marketing and a master’s from Columbia University. A former management consultant, her work focused on strategy and implementation projects for Fortune 100 clients. She was also an account executive at Hill+Knowlton (WPP) marketing consumer packaged goods. As an Executive Board Member of the Brookline Education Foundation, which funds professional development in the Brookline Public Schools, Christina led their Grant and Oversight Committees. She currently sits on the board of the Brookline Library Foundation and teaches ESL at Rosie’s Place in Boston.
Christina Gordon (Co-Founder and CEO) holds a dual master’s degree in International Finance and Applied Economics from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Boston University and also studied for a joint master’s degree in Women’s Studies and Sociology at Brandeis with a focus on women in the workplace. Christina is a former assistant fund manager and technology industry equity analyst at Wellington Management. She also worked as a stock analyst at Fidelity Investments. She is a trustee of a private foundation, a member of Women Moving Millions and currently sits on the board of Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women in Boston.