Amalgamated Bank of Chicago is excited to share that Donna Howard (Vice President, Corporate Trust) has been highlighted by Chicago Women in Public Finance in honor of #WomensHistoryMonth. Read the Chicago WPF article below:
In honor of Women’s History Month, Chicago WPF is pleased to highlight several esteemed women in our industry throughout the month of March. In this week’s member spotlight, Donna Howard, Vice President, Corporate Trust, Amalgamated Bank of Chicago, and Jane Ott, Principal Owner of North South Capital, share what drew them to public finance and the benefits of getting outside of your comfort zone in your career.
Donna Howard is a Vice President in Corporate Trust with Amalgamated Bank of Chicago. Donna joined ABOC in 2008. Donna has acquired a wide range of administrative experience in municipal debt which includes general obligation and revenue bonds, tax increment and educational financing, multifamily housing revenue bonds, supportive living facilities, variable rate demand bonds and escrows. Donna has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. Donna received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a master’s in business administration from Roosevelt University and has been a Certified Corporate Trust Specialist since 2012.
Q. What advice do you wish someone had given you earlier in your career?
A. Do not be afraid to venture outside your comfort zone and try something new. Continue to challenge yourself to learn no matter what stage of your career you are in. When you are learning continuously, you gain more skills and become flexible and adaptable in your career path.
Q. How can women better support and empower each other in this industry, and what initiatives have you seen or implemented to foster this type of collaboration?
A. Women can support each other in this industry by being an advocate for each other. We need to be willing to offer guidance, advise, and insight to help each other navigate challenges and advance in our careers. Mentoring has been especially important to me throughout my career. I have been fortunate to have had several great mentors along my career path and many of those relationships have lasted over the years.
Q. What are the most important attributes of successful leaders today?
A. Successful leaders need to be a visionary, have confidence, exhibit, and expect accountability from themselves and those around them, and have compassion.
#financialservices #womeninbanking #careerdevelopment #publicfinance
