_WHEN:Tuesday, 15 November 2011, 6:00 - 10:00pm
WHAT:WAM NY Happy Hour and Elections
WHERE:New York, NY
Event Summary: On Thursday, November 15th 2011 we hosted our year end Happy Hour
Ms. Wilma Longdon, one of the five recipients of the 2010 WAM-NY scholarships, joined us for the event.
Wilma Longdon joined WomensTrust in February 2011 as Executive Director stationed in Pokuase, Ghana. WomensTrust is pioneering a unique model of economic development, merging microfinance with support in education and healthcare to give women and their families in poor communities the tools to achieve and maintain true economic independence.
Wilma attended the Sustainable Microenterprise and Development Program (SMDP) in March 2011. The full scholarship from WAM-NY made it possible for Wilma to attend SMDP at no cost to WomensTrust, allowing the organization to retain its program funds and channel it into loans for more women.
WHEN:Thursday, October 6th 2011 from 6:00 to 8:30 pm. WHAT:WAM-NY Second Annual Scholarship Fundraiser WHERE:Moore Brothers Wine Company, New York, NY Event Summary: On Thursday, October 6th 2011 we hosted our Second Annual Scholarship Fundraiser at Moore Brothers Wine Company here in NYC. The funds raised are going to women microfinance practitioners from the Global South to attend specialized training programs and conferences to strengthen their skills and leadership opportunities. We had an ambitious goal to outdo last year, and topped that! We had many friends and supporters join us for the festivities, and the crowd swelled to capacity. Testimonials our five 2010 scholarship recipients were read. We were very excited to have Ms. Donna Katzin, CEO of Shared Interest as our keynote speaker. Donna spoke about the importance of supporting women in the field of microfinance, citing many firsthand examples through her extensive work experience. In all it was a wonderful event! Click here to view pictures of the event.
WHEN:September 22, 2011 WHAT:Life Skills Seminar WHEN:September 8, 2011 WHAT:Speed Networking with Microfinance Leaders + Joint Happy Hour w/ Microfinance Club of New York WHERE:Microfinance Club of New York WHEN:August 17, 2011 WHAT:Screening of "Women, War and Peace" WHERE:New York, NY HOW:**Space will be limited to 8 WAM-NY members. Screening of the first episode of a five-part documentary mini series that focuses on the role of women in war and peace-building.
WHEN:July 22, 2011 WHAT:Site Visits to Small Businesses WHERE:Washington Heights and the Bronx WHO:2-3 businesses served by Credit Where Credit Is Due This site visit was the third in WAM-NY's series of site visits to small businesses in NYC. These were designed to give WAM-NY members the chance to have an inside view of the small businesses and the organizations that they work with - in this case Credit Where Credit Is Due (CWCID). WAM members heard CWCID clients' colorful stories about how they got started, how they survived the economic hard times over the past few years, and how local microfinance organizations directly helped their small businesses. The visits were kicked off with a brief orientation with a CWCID representative.
WHEN:June 23, 2011 WHAT:Presentation Skills Seminar (members only) WHERE:New York, NY WHO:Anne Miller, speaker and seminar leader HOW:**Space will be limited to 8 WAM-NY members. A hands-on, all-day seminar to hone your presentation skills led by internationally respected author, speaker and seminar leader Anne Miller. A unique approach combining strategy, learning styles, sports psychology, and creativity into seamless, successful presentations.
Learn how to:
12 E. 22nd St (between Broadway and Park Avenue South), New York, NY WHO:Ms. Maika Hemphill, Portfolio Manager for North America, Kiva
Ms. Catherine Meyrat, VP of Strategy, ACCION Texas-Louisiana HOW:$85 for non-WAM members* / $45 for members Women Advancing Microfinance-New York (WAM-NY) warmly invites you to spend an eveningfeaturing leaders in the Impact Investing community.
As community partners of the 2011 Microfinance USA conference WAM-NY is hosting "Deep Dive" Dinners on the evening of Tuesday, May 24th. This is a unique opportunity for only 10 current WAM-NY members* to have dinner with two preeminent leaders and innovators in the field of domestic microfinance. Do not miss this chance to bring the conversation from the conference to life during this informal, interactive session designed to delve deeper into key domestic microfinance topics. WAM-NY will be hosting two tables:
Table 1: Catherine Meyrat, VP of Strategy, ACCION Texas-Louisiana. Catherine Meyrat brings a decade of experience leading diverse groups, managing change, and improving organizational efficiency. Since August 2010, Catherine has lead Microloan Management Services (MMS), an innovative lending platform that improves loan quality, reduces time needed on each application, and enables scalability. She also manages cross-organizational initiatives designed to keep ACCION Texas-Louisiana as a leader in the industry.
Table 2: Maika Hemphill, Portfolio Manager for North America, Kiva. As the Portfolio Manager for North America, Maika is responsible for developing and maintaining Kiva's growing portfolio in the US market. Maika provides a unique familiarity with the US microfinance market. After leaving an investment banking post, she followed her interest in microfinance to begin working directly with US micro-entrepreneurs at ACCION USA. While at ACCION, Maika was charged with developing, servicing and maintaining a healthy portfolio of US entrepreneurs. Her experience at ACCION also led Maika to work extensively with technical assistance, partnership development, internal operational projects and training.
WHEN:May 23-24, 2011 WHAT:Microfinance USA Conference WHERE:New York Opportunity Fund, Kiva and ACCION bring you the 2011 Microfinance USA Conference this May 23-24 in New York City. Join the conversation this May with expert practitioners, top investors, and frontline researchers to explore and expand microfinance in the U.S. Registration is now open (see below). As strategic partner, WAM-NY will be hosting events – stay tuned for more details!
Over two days, you can:
WHEN:May 16, 2011 WHAT:The Role of Microfinance Within Impact Investing WHERE:Mayer Brown LLP
1675 Broadway, New York, NY 10019 WHO:Mr. Paul DiLeo, Founder and Managing Partner, Grassroots Capital Management
Mr. Amit Bouri, Director of Strategy and Development, Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN)
Ms. Sara Vermeir, Head of Business and Fund Development, Incofin Investment Management HOW: $10 for non-WAM members / Free for members Light refreshments will be served Women Advancing Microfinance-New York (WAM-NY) warmly invites you to spend an evening featuring leaders in the Impact Investing community.
Given the growth of Impact Investing, we have invited leaders in the sector to discuss their views on the role of microfinance within the broader asset class.
Amit Bouri serves as Director of Strategy and Development at the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the scale and effectiveness of impact investing around the world. The GIIN was launched at the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting, and has been recognized by The Economist for its work supporting for-profit social and environmental solutions. At the GIIN, Amit focuses on strategic planning, program development, and external relations.
Sara Vermeir joined Incofin Investment Management in 2009. As Head of Business and Fund Development she works on the development of new funds, on the commercialization of existing funds, and on maintaining excellent investor relations. Sara is also part of the investment team and is a private equity manager, in charge of analyzing and negotiating the private equity transactions of Incofin IM's pool of funds, with a specific regional focus on Asia and on adjacencies to the traditional microfinance portfolio.
WHEN:April 5, 2011 WHAT:Voices from the Field
Focusing on Women Clients: Featuring Leaders of Microfinance Networks in the Women's World Banking Network WHERE:Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies WHO:Mr. Mathias Katamba, CEO, Uganda Finance Trust
Ms. Fatina Abu Okab, General Manager, Microfund for Women, Jordan HOW:$10 for non-WAM members / Free for members
Light refreshments Because women make up the majority of microfinance clients, it is increasingly important that as the industry grows, institutions continue to ensure that they are meeting the needs of women, beyond strictly offering credit. Leading institutions in the Women's World Banking network have been quite creative in developing products and services that overcome the barriers that have traditionally kept women from accessing formal financial services.
This event was a unique opportunity to hear directly from a panel of CEOs and Executive Directors from some of these institutions, and the initiatives they have put in place tailored to suit women's needs, including revamping market research programs, developing products beyond credit, and focusing on rural areas. WHEN:March 23, 2011 WHAT:Voices from the Field
Pro Mujer Practitioners from Latin America WHERE:National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions 116 John Street, 33rd Floor, New York, NY HOW:$10 for non-WAM members / Free for members
Light refreshments WHO:Gloria Ruiz, Director of Pro Mujer, Nicaragua
Naldi Delgado, Director of Pro Mujer, Peru Ms. Gloria Ruiz is the Director of Pro Mujer in Nicaragua, and has also been with Pro Mujer in Nicaragua since its inception. She began her career as a credit promoter at the institution in 1996. Since then she has held positions of increasing responsibility at the managerial level, and this breadth of experience informs her work today as Pro Mujer in Nicaragua's leader. She has built a strong team and together they have adapted Pro Mujer's methodology to the social and political context in Nicaragua. She and her team have also developed an effective organizational structure that facilitates their provision of financially self-sustaining services to dispersed populations in far-flung rural communities. Gloria is on the board of the microfinance industry association ASOMIF, serving as a spokesperson for it through various media outlets, including CNN. Gloria has an undergraduate degree in Agriculture and a Master's Degree in Microfinance from the University of Managua.
Ms. Naldi Delgado is the Pro Mujer Director in Peru. She has been with Pro Mujer in Peru since its inception in 2000. Ms. Delgado was the Financial Manager prior to becoming Director. Before joining Pro Mujer, she worked at Ipes as its Director of Finance and Administration, managing a village banking program financed by both public and private funds. She has had 12 years of experience in the microfinance industry, holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the Universidad del Pacifico in Lima and a Master's degree in Social Management from the Universidad Catlica del Peru. She has also studied at the Boulder Institute of Microfinance and the University of Talca in Chile.
This event was moderated as well as translated (Spanish to English) by WAM- NY Steering Committee Member, Sarah Leshner. WHEN:March 10, 2011 WHAT:Site Visit to Women-Owned Small Businesses on Lower East Side WHERE:Neighborhood served by Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union HOW:Open to WAM NY members only This site vist was the second in WAM-NY's series of site visits to MFIs in NYC to give WAM-NY members the chance to have an inside view of how each institution operates.
Members visited - and ate lunch at - actual client locations in the neighborhood of the Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union (LESPFCU)! www.lespeoples.org
LESPFCU is a community development credit union that serves mostly the low- and moderate-income community in the Lower East Side.
All of the clients are women business owners with their own stories to tell about how they got started and how they have survived the economic hard times over the past few years. WHO:The tour covered five LES businesses:
750 Seventh Avenue (between 49th/50th)
4th Floor Auditorium HOW:$10 for non-WAM members / Free for members
Light refreshments WHO:Barbara Magnoni, president, EA Consulting WAM-NY and Morgan Stanley presented an evening with Barbara Magnoni, co-author of the paper A Business to Call Her Own: Identifying, Analyzing and Overcoming Constraints to Women's Small Businesses in Latin America and the Caribbean.
http://www.microfinancegateway.org/p/site/m/template.rc/1.9.45595/
Moderated by WAM NY Steering Committee Member, Rebecca Feinberg of Pro Mujer International
Wilma Longdon joined WomensTrust in February 2011 as Executive Director stationed in Pokuase, Ghana. WomensTrust is pioneering a unique model of economic development, merging microfinance with support in education and healthcare to give women and their families in poor communities the tools to achieve and maintain true economic independence.
Wilma attended the Sustainable Microenterprise and Development Program (SMDP) in March 2011. The full scholarship from WAM-NY made it possible for Wilma to attend SMDP at no cost to WomensTrust, allowing the organization to retain its program funds and channel it into loans for more women.
WHEN:Thursday, October 6th 2011 from 6:00 to 8:30 pm. WHAT:WAM-NY Second Annual Scholarship Fundraiser WHERE:Moore Brothers Wine Company, New York, NY Event Summary: On Thursday, October 6th 2011 we hosted our Second Annual Scholarship Fundraiser at Moore Brothers Wine Company here in NYC. The funds raised are going to women microfinance practitioners from the Global South to attend specialized training programs and conferences to strengthen their skills and leadership opportunities. We had an ambitious goal to outdo last year, and topped that! We had many friends and supporters join us for the festivities, and the crowd swelled to capacity. Testimonials our five 2010 scholarship recipients were read. We were very excited to have Ms. Donna Katzin, CEO of Shared Interest as our keynote speaker. Donna spoke about the importance of supporting women in the field of microfinance, citing many firsthand examples through her extensive work experience. In all it was a wonderful event! Click here to view pictures of the event.
WHEN:September 22, 2011 WHAT:Life Skills Seminar WHEN:September 8, 2011 WHAT:Speed Networking with Microfinance Leaders + Joint Happy Hour w/ Microfinance Club of New York WHERE:Microfinance Club of New York WHEN:August 17, 2011 WHAT:Screening of "Women, War and Peace" WHERE:New York, NY HOW:**Space will be limited to 8 WAM-NY members. Screening of the first episode of a five-part documentary mini series that focuses on the role of women in war and peace-building.
WHEN:July 22, 2011 WHAT:Site Visits to Small Businesses WHERE:Washington Heights and the Bronx WHO:2-3 businesses served by Credit Where Credit Is Due This site visit was the third in WAM-NY's series of site visits to small businesses in NYC. These were designed to give WAM-NY members the chance to have an inside view of the small businesses and the organizations that they work with - in this case Credit Where Credit Is Due (CWCID). WAM members heard CWCID clients' colorful stories about how they got started, how they survived the economic hard times over the past few years, and how local microfinance organizations directly helped their small businesses. The visits were kicked off with a brief orientation with a CWCID representative.
WHEN:June 23, 2011 WHAT:Presentation Skills Seminar (members only) WHERE:New York, NY WHO:Anne Miller, speaker and seminar leader HOW:**Space will be limited to 8 WAM-NY members. A hands-on, all-day seminar to hone your presentation skills led by internationally respected author, speaker and seminar leader Anne Miller. A unique approach combining strategy, learning styles, sports psychology, and creativity into seamless, successful presentations.
Learn how to:
- Cut preparation time in half
- Engage people immediately
- Keep your audience riveted on your message
- Talk to your audience's preferred information style
- Move your audience easily and naturally to a next stage
- Think on your feet
- Work effectively with even the most complex visuals
- Avoid common traps: rambling; falling into a monologue; becoming a monotone; failing to make key points
- Handle questions professionally and gracefully
- Command the room with style and comfort consistent with your personality
12 E. 22nd St (between Broadway and Park Avenue South), New York, NY WHO:Ms. Maika Hemphill, Portfolio Manager for North America, Kiva
Ms. Catherine Meyrat, VP of Strategy, ACCION Texas-Louisiana HOW:$85 for non-WAM members* / $45 for members Women Advancing Microfinance-New York (WAM-NY) warmly invites you to spend an eveningfeaturing leaders in the Impact Investing community.
As community partners of the 2011 Microfinance USA conference WAM-NY is hosting "Deep Dive" Dinners on the evening of Tuesday, May 24th. This is a unique opportunity for only 10 current WAM-NY members* to have dinner with two preeminent leaders and innovators in the field of domestic microfinance. Do not miss this chance to bring the conversation from the conference to life during this informal, interactive session designed to delve deeper into key domestic microfinance topics. WAM-NY will be hosting two tables:
Table 1: Catherine Meyrat, VP of Strategy, ACCION Texas-Louisiana. Catherine Meyrat brings a decade of experience leading diverse groups, managing change, and improving organizational efficiency. Since August 2010, Catherine has lead Microloan Management Services (MMS), an innovative lending platform that improves loan quality, reduces time needed on each application, and enables scalability. She also manages cross-organizational initiatives designed to keep ACCION Texas-Louisiana as a leader in the industry.
Table 2: Maika Hemphill, Portfolio Manager for North America, Kiva. As the Portfolio Manager for North America, Maika is responsible for developing and maintaining Kiva's growing portfolio in the US market. Maika provides a unique familiarity with the US microfinance market. After leaving an investment banking post, she followed her interest in microfinance to begin working directly with US micro-entrepreneurs at ACCION USA. While at ACCION, Maika was charged with developing, servicing and maintaining a healthy portfolio of US entrepreneurs. Her experience at ACCION also led Maika to work extensively with technical assistance, partnership development, internal operational projects and training.
WHEN:May 23-24, 2011 WHAT:Microfinance USA Conference WHERE:New York Opportunity Fund, Kiva and ACCION bring you the 2011 Microfinance USA Conference this May 23-24 in New York City. Join the conversation this May with expert practitioners, top investors, and frontline researchers to explore and expand microfinance in the U.S. Registration is now open (see below). As strategic partner, WAM-NY will be hosting events – stay tuned for more details!
Over two days, you can:
- Attend plenary sessions and panels led by the nation's leading microfinance voices.
- Experience microfinance first-hand by touring local microenterprises in New York.
- Debate current microfinance topics during small group sessions and networking dinners.
- Hear directly from entrepreneurs whose businesses were funded by microloans at the 2nd Annual Kiva Lender-Borrower Meet-up.
- What IS microfinance? - debating and defining our terminology
- Microfinance Crisis in India - what happened and lessons-learned
- Microsavings - expanding the microfinance frontier
- And more!
WHEN:May 16, 2011 WHAT:The Role of Microfinance Within Impact Investing WHERE:Mayer Brown LLP
1675 Broadway, New York, NY 10019 WHO:Mr. Paul DiLeo, Founder and Managing Partner, Grassroots Capital Management
Mr. Amit Bouri, Director of Strategy and Development, Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN)
Ms. Sara Vermeir, Head of Business and Fund Development, Incofin Investment Management HOW: $10 for non-WAM members / Free for members Light refreshments will be served Women Advancing Microfinance-New York (WAM-NY) warmly invites you to spend an evening featuring leaders in the Impact Investing community.
Given the growth of Impact Investing, we have invited leaders in the sector to discuss their views on the role of microfinance within the broader asset class.
Amit Bouri serves as Director of Strategy and Development at the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the scale and effectiveness of impact investing around the world. The GIIN was launched at the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting, and has been recognized by The Economist for its work supporting for-profit social and environmental solutions. At the GIIN, Amit focuses on strategic planning, program development, and external relations.
Sara Vermeir joined Incofin Investment Management in 2009. As Head of Business and Fund Development she works on the development of new funds, on the commercialization of existing funds, and on maintaining excellent investor relations. Sara is also part of the investment team and is a private equity manager, in charge of analyzing and negotiating the private equity transactions of Incofin IM's pool of funds, with a specific regional focus on Asia and on adjacencies to the traditional microfinance portfolio.
WHEN:April 5, 2011 WHAT:Voices from the Field
Focusing on Women Clients: Featuring Leaders of Microfinance Networks in the Women's World Banking Network WHERE:Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies WHO:Mr. Mathias Katamba, CEO, Uganda Finance Trust
Ms. Fatina Abu Okab, General Manager, Microfund for Women, Jordan HOW:$10 for non-WAM members / Free for members
Light refreshments Because women make up the majority of microfinance clients, it is increasingly important that as the industry grows, institutions continue to ensure that they are meeting the needs of women, beyond strictly offering credit. Leading institutions in the Women's World Banking network have been quite creative in developing products and services that overcome the barriers that have traditionally kept women from accessing formal financial services.
This event was a unique opportunity to hear directly from a panel of CEOs and Executive Directors from some of these institutions, and the initiatives they have put in place tailored to suit women's needs, including revamping market research programs, developing products beyond credit, and focusing on rural areas. WHEN:March 23, 2011 WHAT:Voices from the Field
Pro Mujer Practitioners from Latin America WHERE:National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions 116 John Street, 33rd Floor, New York, NY HOW:$10 for non-WAM members / Free for members
Light refreshments WHO:Gloria Ruiz, Director of Pro Mujer, Nicaragua
Naldi Delgado, Director of Pro Mujer, Peru Ms. Gloria Ruiz is the Director of Pro Mujer in Nicaragua, and has also been with Pro Mujer in Nicaragua since its inception. She began her career as a credit promoter at the institution in 1996. Since then she has held positions of increasing responsibility at the managerial level, and this breadth of experience informs her work today as Pro Mujer in Nicaragua's leader. She has built a strong team and together they have adapted Pro Mujer's methodology to the social and political context in Nicaragua. She and her team have also developed an effective organizational structure that facilitates their provision of financially self-sustaining services to dispersed populations in far-flung rural communities. Gloria is on the board of the microfinance industry association ASOMIF, serving as a spokesperson for it through various media outlets, including CNN. Gloria has an undergraduate degree in Agriculture and a Master's Degree in Microfinance from the University of Managua.
Ms. Naldi Delgado is the Pro Mujer Director in Peru. She has been with Pro Mujer in Peru since its inception in 2000. Ms. Delgado was the Financial Manager prior to becoming Director. Before joining Pro Mujer, she worked at Ipes as its Director of Finance and Administration, managing a village banking program financed by both public and private funds. She has had 12 years of experience in the microfinance industry, holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the Universidad del Pacifico in Lima and a Master's degree in Social Management from the Universidad Catlica del Peru. She has also studied at the Boulder Institute of Microfinance and the University of Talca in Chile.
This event was moderated as well as translated (Spanish to English) by WAM- NY Steering Committee Member, Sarah Leshner. WHEN:March 10, 2011 WHAT:Site Visit to Women-Owned Small Businesses on Lower East Side WHERE:Neighborhood served by Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union HOW:Open to WAM NY members only This site vist was the second in WAM-NY's series of site visits to MFIs in NYC to give WAM-NY members the chance to have an inside view of how each institution operates.
Members visited - and ate lunch at - actual client locations in the neighborhood of the Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union (LESPFCU)! www.lespeoples.org
LESPFCU is a community development credit union that serves mostly the low- and moderate-income community in the Lower East Side.
All of the clients are women business owners with their own stories to tell about how they got started and how they have survived the economic hard times over the past few years. WHO:The tour covered five LES businesses:
- Brix NYC (wine shop), http://www.yelp.com/biz/brix-nyc-new-york
- Counter (vegetarian restaurant), http://www.counternyc.com
- Rossy's Bakery, http://foursquare.com/venue/4493828
- Johanny Beauty School, http://johannybeautyschool.com
- Maguey y la Tuna: The tour ended with lunch at this authentic Mexican restaurant, http://www.elmagueyylatuna.com
750 Seventh Avenue (between 49th/50th)
4th Floor Auditorium HOW:$10 for non-WAM members / Free for members
Light refreshments WHO:Barbara Magnoni, president, EA Consulting WAM-NY and Morgan Stanley presented an evening with Barbara Magnoni, co-author of the paper A Business to Call Her Own: Identifying, Analyzing and Overcoming Constraints to Women's Small Businesses in Latin America and the Caribbean.
http://www.microfinancegateway.org/p/site/m/template.rc/1.9.45595/
Moderated by WAM NY Steering Committee Member, Rebecca Feinberg of Pro Mujer International