After years of working in a male-dominated field, a finance professional who spoke recently to a UC Santa Barbara campus group said she found that being the only woman in a room full of men isn’t necessarily a bad thing— in fact, it can work to your advantage.

“Many clients actually prefer working with a woman because the communication is better and there is less ego involved,” says Dannell Stuart, president of Mission Wealth, a wealth and investment management firm in Santa Barbara.

Stuart and three other women financial executives spoke at a “Women on Wall Street” panel discussion hosted by UCSB’s Women in Business club. The speakers included Holly Ilczuk, former vice president of investment banking at Goldman Sachs and Lindsey Wilde, a former vice president of emerging markets at Goldman Sachs and a former director at Element Capital Management.  They were joined by Kasey Reiter, a partner at Rise Together Ventures, an investment platform that grants entrepreneurs money to adapt their products to social change efforts.

Panelist Dannell Stuart, president of investment firm Mission Wealth

The panelist offered advice to the UCSB women’s group on how to use their gender as a powerful asset in their professional lives. Stuart urged the audience to disregard stereotypes of a male-dominated industry and focus on their passions. “If there’s something that you’re interested in doing, in your heart, pursue that regardless of what perception there may be about who typically works in that kind of role,” Stuart said.

She acknowledged women are still in the minority in the word of finance, but stressed the upsides. “It’s funny, I would go to conferences for the Financial Planning Association, and there would be a long line to the men’s room, but for the women’s room, you could walk right in,” she said. While short bathroom lines are definitely a perk, the pros that come with being a woman in finance include the fact that you stand out. Stuart said that on previous panels she was often the only female, so “when I would speak, heads would perk up because my voice sounded different than the other male voices.”

Stuart discussed the importance of emotional intelligence and communication in business, saying that those soft skills are often the factor that separates successful people from unsuccessful people. “It’s not the smartest person that wins, it’s the hardest working person. It’s the person that has the soft skills and knows how to build relationships, community, and consensus,” she said.

Stuart focused on the advantages that being a woman has brought her, but she also noted that being a minority in a situation can make you second-guess yourself. She said women need to learn to listen to their intuition rather than suppress it.

For members of the Women in Business club, this was a prime example of the kind of  “empowerment” that the club lists as one of its core values. In discussing their professional experiences, the featured speakers at the Women in Wall Street event also personified  inspiration and education, other values that motivates the club.

UCSB Women in Business club board members with panelists

Panelist Kasey Reiter, a partner at Rise Together Ventures, said that being a woman led to new opportunities that advanced her career. “It allows you to engage in other ways in companies. There was a female employee resource group, and my ability to engage in this group gave me exposure to female seniors at the bank that I wouldn’t normally have access to,” she said.

Elaine Jones, head of marketing for the Women in Business campus group, says that the club supports its members by “filling in the gaps that many young women deal with as they navigate the corporate world.” Jones joined the club in June 2022 to further her personal college goal of creating lasting professional relationships. Jones said that the club has lived up to its founding values - empowerment, inspiration, and education by facilitating member enrichment workshops and networking opportunities. The club also highlights the importance of mindfulness, which members practice through their wellness-oriented events such as meditation, tote bag painting, and yoga.

Sasha Heinemann is a second year UC Santa Barbara student majoring in Communication.