Honoree: Muriel Siebert
Muriel "Mickie" Siebert is the founder, president and chief executive officer of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) brokerage firm that bears her name, Muriel Siebert & Co., Inc. She established the firm in 1967 when she became the first woman member of the NYSE and transformed it into a discount brokerage house on May 1, 1975, the first day that NYSE members were permitted to negotiate commissions. Ms. Siebert oversees the firm's day-to-day operations at its seven branches. The firm's Siebert Brandford Shank & Co., LLC municipal affiliate is ranked in the top 20 public finance firms in the country.
Ms. Siebert started her career as a $65 a week trainee in research at Bache & Co. and became an industry specialist (airlines/aerospace). She later became a partner at Finkle & Co., as well as at Brimberg & Co. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended what is now known as Case Western Reserve University. Although she did not graduate, she now holds 19 honorary doctoral degrees. In 1977, Ms. Siebert took a leave of absence from her firm to serve five years as the first woman Superintendent of Banking for the State of New York under Governor Hugh Carey. As such, she was responsible for the safety and soundness of not only the banks, but also other financial institutions in New York State.
In 1999, while president of the New York Women's Agenda - a coalition of over 100 women's organizations, Ms. Siebert developed a Personal Finance Program that was introduced into the economic curriculum of New York City's public high schools. The program was designed to equip high school seniors with two essential financial management skills – managing a checkbook and understanding the use and abuse of credit cards. In the interest of improving the financial literacy of our nation's young adults, Ms. Siebert has expanded the program to include topics such as budgeting, identity theft, taxation, financial planning and more, as well as developing a Middle School version of the program, "Money$tars – Personal Finance in the Classroom". In keeping with her personal vision, she hopes to see these programs established nationally.
Throughout her career, Ms. Siebert has been actively involved with a wide range of non-profit, civic and women's organizations. To name only a few of her affiliations, she is currently on the boards of The New York State Business Council, Greater New York Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Friars Club, Guild Hall and Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Economic Club of New York, Committee of 200 (an international organization of pre-eminent businesswomen), International Women's Forum and New York Women's Forum of which she was a founder and former president. She is a former appointee to the New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination and the National Women's Business Council and was a member of Deloitte & Touche's Council for the Advancement and Retention of Women.
Ms. Siebert has received countless awards and honors throughout her career, including the first woman selected as "one who has made a difference" for the Working Women's Hall of Fame. In 1994, she was inducted into the International Women's Forum Hall of Fame in the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, NY. She received the Sara Lee Frontrunner Award in Business which honors the service, accomplishments, and abilities of women who represent achievement and shape the future. She was also a recipient of The Athena Foundation's highest award given to those "who open the doors of leadership opportunity for women." Her most recent honors include the National Association of Women Business Owners First Signature Award for Lifetime Achievement as a pioneering women's business owner, acknowledgement from the Center for Educational Innovation-Public Education Association (CEI-PEA) for pioneering financial literacy, inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame and recipient of the First Lifetime Achievement Award for Promoting Financial Literacy from the New Jersey Coalition for Financial Education. Ms. Siebert is also featured in the "Women and Wall Street" permanent collection exhibit at the Museum of American Finance.
In November 2002, Ms. Siebert's autobiography, "Changing the Rules - Adventures of a Wall Street Maverick," was published by Simon and Schuster. Ms. Siebert is a sought-after speaker on current financial matters and a frequent commentator on the major financial news networks.
On December 28, 2007, Ms. Siebert celebrated the 40th anniversary of buying her seat on the New York Stock Exchange by ringing the Exchange's closing bell.