2010 conference speakers

Keynote Speaker: Michelle Singletary

Michelle Singletary: A syndicated columnist for The Washington Post whose popular personal finance column appears in more than 120 newspapers: she's also a mother of three children who understands what it's like to live on a budget. In a plainspoken, sassy, no-nonsense voice, Michelle will provide answers tothe financial issues that confront almost every household: how to teach children the value of money; how to address money issues in a relationship or marriage; household saving tips; getting the best loans; and much more.                                                                                                                 

For Michelle's complete bio please go to: http://www.michellesingletary.com/about/default.html

For an excerpt and preview of Michelle Singeltary's presentation, click here!

Honorary Chair: Connecticut State Treasurer Denise L. Nappier

Denise Lynn Nappier, the 82^nd Treasurer of the State of Connecticut, is the first African-American woman elected to serve as a State Treasurer in the United States and the first African-American woman elected to a statewide office in Connecticut. Elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2002 and 2006, Treasurer Nappier is the only woman to be elected Treasurer in Connecticut history.

 As Connecticut’s chief elected financial officer, she is principal fiduciary of the $20 billion Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds (CRPTF), and oversees the state’s $16 billion debt management program and $5 billion Short-Term Investment Fund.  Treasurer Nappier is the architect of wide-ranging reforms to Connecticut’s system of pension fund governance; her high standards and financial expertise brought integrity back to the Treasurer’s office and professionalism to the management of state resources.

A strong advocate for diversity and expanding economic opportunity, Treasurer Nappier established the $800 million Connecticut Horizon Fund investment program aimed at increasing opportunities for women- and minority-owned, and emerging firms in the financial industry. During the Nappier administration, the number of minority-owned and women-owned investment banking and financial advisory firms doing business with the Treasurer’s office has dramatically increased.

Treasurer Nappier has served as a catalyst and effective advocate for financial education. She was a driving force in the establishment of the annual Money Conference for Women and the Youth Financial Education Conference, and has championed numerous efforts promoting asset-building and economic empowerment strategies, as well as initiatives addressing issues ranging from access to credit to predatory lending.

In 2006, Treasurer Nappier initiated and successfully led efforts to establish a new tax deduction for Connecticut families who contribute to CHET college savings accounts in order to encourage Connecticut residents to save for higher education. The CHET program, which grew from $18 million in assets in 1999 to more than $1 billion under her administration, has become one of the nation’s most accessible and affordable college savings programs.

Treasurer Nappier previously served as Hartford City Treasurer for nearly a decade. She holds a B.A. from Virginia State University and a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati. Treasurer Nappier was inducted into the Wall Street Hall of Fame, by the National Association of Securities Professionals. She has received the Good Housekeeping Award for Women in Government, was named one of the nation’s "100 Most Influential People in Finance" by Treasury & Risk Magazine and one of the "50 Most Powerful Black Women in Business" by Black Enterprise magazine.

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