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Women’s Business Development Council Appoints Five New Members to Board of Directors

Women’s Business Development Council Appoints Five New Members to Board of Directors

The Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) is pleased to announce that five new members have been appointed to its board of directors.

STAMFORD, Conn. — The Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) is pleased to announce that five new members have been appointed to its board of directors. Amanda Castellano (Financial Advisor, Portfolio Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management), Martha A. Finkel (Senior Vice President at Webster Bank), Lindsey Kopp (Chief Financial Officer at DR Bank), ​​Katia Lacy (Managing Director and Head of Talent Management at Alvarez & Marsal), ​​and Ann S. Matthews (Associate General Counsel for Private Equity and Strategic Investments at Point72).

“We are thrilled to welcome these five extraordinary women to WBDC’s board of directors,” said WBDC Founder and CEO Fran Pastore. “These women bring to the table diverse backgrounds and experiences that will help drive our efforts to support and provide services to women building and growing businesses in our communities. Our board of directors is a point of strength for our organization and is integral to the pursuit of our mission to drive women’s economic equity.”

 

Introducing the new board members


Amanda Castellano
| Financial Advisor, Portfolio Advisor — Merrill Lynch Wealth Management

Amanda Castellano has a longstanding commitment to women in business. As a young entrepreneur, she started her own wellness and fitness company specializing in empowering female clients by providing them with the tools necessary to lead a healthy and confident life. As a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, she works with female founders and entrepreneurs, providing them with the expert guidance and resources they need for financial success in their personal and professional pursuits. Ms. Castellano volunteers with the Bridgeport Rescue Mission and Gillespie Center and serves on the board of the Westport Young Woman’s League and is the current chair of the Minute Man Race. She serves on the committee that oversees the Westport Public Arts Collection. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from St. Francis College.

 

Martha A. Finkel | Senior Vice President — Webster Bank

Martha A. Finkel is currently a Senior Vice President of Commercial Banking with Webster Bank. As a Relationship Manager with over 30 years of banking experience, she serves commercial clients throughout Northern Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. Ms. Finkel’s client base includes manufacturers, distributors, professional service companies and not-for-profits. Formally credit trained, she is skilled in financial and business analyses, loan structuring and risk management.  Ms. Finkel has served on numerous boards of directors; currently, she serves on the board of directors of Interval House in Hartford and JGS Lifecare in Longmeadow, Mass.  In 2010, she was the first women Chairman of the Board of JGS Lifecare f/k/a Jewish Geriatric Services in its 100-year history. Ms. Finkel attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees. She currently lives in Broad Brook, Conn. with her husband Michael.

 

Lindsey Kopp | Chief Financial Officer — DR Bank

Lindsey Kopp joins the WBDC board of directors with more than 16 years of accounting and finance experience in the banking industry. She is the Chief Financial Officer of DR Bank and joined the organization in April 2018. Previously, Ms. Kopp worked for Synchrony Financial, Banc of California, Farmington Bank, Webster Bank, and Deloitte. Ms. Kopp earned her bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s Degree from the University of Connecticut.

 

Katia Lacy | Managing Director and Head of Talent Management — Alvarez & Marsal

 Katia Lacy joined Alvarez & Marsal in 2014 — and currently serves as a Managing Director and as the Head of Talent Management for Alvarez & Marsal’s Global Transaction Advisory Group (TAG). In this capacity, she leads TAG’s efforts in recruiting, onboarding, career development, performance management, and deployment. She is also a former board member of Alvarez & Marsal’s Women’s Leadership Connection. Prior to joining Alvarez & Marsal, Ms. Lacy spent 15 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in varying roles within the firm’s assurance practice. Ms. Lacy is a CPA (inactive), licensed in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. She also holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification.

 

Ann S. Matthews |Associate General Counsel for Private Equity and Strategic Investments — Point72

Ann S. Matthews serves as the Associate General Counsel for Private Equity and Strategic Investments at Point72. In this role, she supports Point72 Ventures as well as other areas of the firm in connection with a wide variety of strategic transactions. She leads legal negotiations for new Point72 Ventures investments and provides advice and counsel in connection with ongoing matters across the Point72 Ventures portfolio. Prior to joining Point72, Ms. Matthews worked at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Wiggin and Dana, LLP, and Shearman and Sterling LLP.

 

About the Women’s Business Development Council

Since 1997, the Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) has educated and trained more than 18,000 clients—helping women to launch and scale over 6,500 businesses, create, and maintain over 8,750 jobs in Connecticut, and access more than $24.9 million in capital. WBDC is the only agency in Connecticut reflective of the statewide demographic makeup offering comprehensive micro-enterprise training, with services ranging from financial education, entrepreneurial development, and access to capital programs.