Her Story: Suzanne Shank, The Woman You Wish You Knew
Her Story: Suzanne Shank, The Woman You Wish You Knew
When being "lowkey" speaks volumes. Suzanne Shank's rise to being the Queen of Wall Street.
When being "lowkey" speaks volumes. Suzanne Shank's rise to being the Queen of Wall Street.
First Stop: College.
There's nothing better than a woman who is street and book smart. Growing up in the South, she learned the importance of hard work by watching her parents. When it was time to go to college, she started her education at Georgia Institute of Technology. She graduated from the school and received a degree in civil engineering!
Walking the Walk
After attaining her degree in 1983, Shank went on to work for General Dynamics's electric boat division as an engineer in Atlanta!
University of Pennsylvania
The Education Grind.
Shank didn't just stop with her civil engineering degree. She went on to get her MBA! After working for General Dynamics for two years, she realized her passion was for management and finance. Shank pursued the new career trajectory at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. There she attained her MBA in Finance!
Hitting The Ground Running
With her MBA in hand, Shank went on to take on Wall Street. She started in 1987 and worked for many firms including James J. Lowrey & Company and the WMBE municipal finance company called Grigsby Brandford & Co.
Opportunities Knocking
After chairman Calvin Grisby left Grisby Brandford & Co. due to corruption accusations in 1996, Shank and remaining partner of Grisby Brandford & Co., Napoleon Brandford III, were left running the company. During this time many interested partners contacted them, one being the notable Muriel Siebert, the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.
Muriel Seibert and Suzanne Shank
In October of 1996, Shank along with Brandford met with Muriel Siebert for dinner. It was an instant match and the trio founded their own municipal finance firm called Siebert Brandford Shank & Co. that night. The company underwrites municipal bonds and other financial instruments that cities issue to finance major infrastructure projects.
“We did our first deal the next week and a couple of large senior management deals the following week. For our first full year, 1997, we did two very large transactions..." "...Both deals were over $100 million. We were on our way.”
Suzanne Shank
Two Decades of Excellence
In the two decades that Suzanne Shank has been in her industry the company has grown and so has she. After Seibert's death in 2013, Shank was served as acting CEO. In November of 2015 Shank became majority owner of the firm, taking on the title of chairwoman in addition to CEO. Since Brandford's retirement Shank acquired a new partner Henry Cisneros. Siebert Brandford Shank & Co., L.L.C., then changed to Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co., L.L.C.
Over time the company has handled $1.4 trillion in principal amount of municipal bond transactions and more than $1 trillion in corporate bond and equity transactions. The company has also gone on to acquire new equity owners and employ 80 people to aid in it's growth.
Hard Work Doesn't Go Unnoticed!
Shank has received numerous awards for her work in finance. Some of them include:
- Being one of Wharton’s Business School's "125 Most Influential People and Ideas" in 2006.
- Being one of the “50 Most Influential Black Women in Business” by Black Enterprise.
- Being one of the “Top 25 Women in Finance” by U.S. Banker Magazine.
- Being named one of the “100 Most Influential Women in 2016” by Crain’s Detroit Business.
This list is endless, but we'll stop here!
Bomb Mom.
Not only is Suzanne Shank the Queen of Wall Street, she's also Queen to her two daughters. Shank has been successfully able to prove that you can have the job and have a family at the same time!
Engine That Won't Stop
Shank is an engine that won't stop. Her work continues to grow as she makes time to mentor youth in Detroit and be a role model for her employees. As one of the most successful African American women on Wall Street, Shank's firm has been ranked the No. 1 minority and woman-owned municipal finance firm for over 15 years. Shank continues to be a finance powerhouse and a queen of Wall Street.