Our Advisory Council
Anne Buehl, Founding Partner, Rocaton Investment Advisors, Board Chair, Unchained At Last
Anne is a Principal at Rocaton Investment Advisors where she serves as an investment consultant leading client relationships across endowments and foundations, healthcare systems, pension plans, and 401(k) plans. In addition to working with institutional investment clients, Anne has served on the management committee, sales and marketing committee, investment committee, and diversity and inclusion committee. Anne currently Chairs the Advisory Council at the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women at Brown University. The Pembroke Center conducts research and teaching that explores social inequalities and examines categories of difference such as gender and race and how they affect our thinking. The Council also supports the Pembroke Center’s undergraduate research grants, postdoctoral fellows, academic courses, and a Feminist Theory archive. The Advisory Council works with the Pembroke Center to develop programming events on topics including voting, healthcare, education, the economy, and human trafficking. Anne also co-heads the Northeast Regional Event Programming committee for Brown University’s Women’s Leadership Council. She has helped to establish a Brown Women’s Network in NYC, organized industry educational and networking events in fields including social impact/non-profit and the law, and developed programs for alumnae ranging from author book talks to a panel of female documentarians. Anne is a graduate of Brown University with a degree in Applied Math-Economics and earned an MBA from Columbia University.
Heather Cabot, author, award-winning journalist, keynote speaker and former ABC News correspondent and anchor
Heather Cabot is a critically acclaimed author and award-winning veteran journalist. A former ABC News correspondent/anchor, Cabot has reported on the fight for gender and racial equity in the tech industry, entrepreneurship, and emerging markets.
Cabot taught on the adjunct faculty of Columbia School of Journalism from 2012-17, currently, serves on the J-School Alumni Board, and is a part-time Masters candidate at Columbia School of Social Work.
She is writing her fourth book with Hopi journalist and FRONTLINE filmmaker, Patty Talahongva. INDIAN SCHOOL ROAD will be published by Legacy Lit, an imprint of Hachette Book Group in the fall of 2026.
She is a mom of teen twins and resides with her family and two dogs outside New York City.
Indira Desai Christie, Founder and CEO of Ripa Wear Inc., Business
Executive, Strategic Consultant
Indira is a business executive with expertise in strategy, growth, and development. Her focus is consumer centric with a track record of identifying, leveraging emerging trends and delivering strategies that translate to profitable revenue generating initiatives. Her visionary approach stems from a 30-year career in the corporate, consulting, and entrepreneurial arenas. Grounded by 10 years in key marketing management positions at Bristol Myers Squibb and Kraft Food, she managed multi-million-dollar businesses for Maxwell House and led divisional RX to OTC initiatives, global businesses, and new products groups for Bristol Myers Squibb. Thereafter she consulted for the Cambridge Group, where she advised Fortune 100 companies across industries on branding, positioning and business expansion strategies. Indira applied her business acumen entrepreneurially as the Founder and CEO of e-commerce company, Ripa Wear Inc., a direct- to- consumer footwear company and holds two US Patents. She applied her business expertise to the real estate sector with WilliamPitt Sotheby's International Realty. Indira earned a Bachelor’s of Arts from Wellesley College and a Masters of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University, J.L. Kellogg School of Management. She values education and believes in the strength of alumni participation. Indira has advised on several non-profit and educational Boards. She is President Emeritus of the Southern Connecticut Wellesley Club and served on the Alumni Reunion Board for the J.L. Kellogg School of Management. Most recently Indira was named a 2021 Woman Leader of New Canaan by the Museum and Historical Society. Selected as one of the leaders across a myriad of professions for their outstanding accomplishments in their field, demonstrated leadership, and commitment to community. Listen to her full interview at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iWxQ_rc-VA Indira and her family live in New Canaan, CT where she serves on the Board of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Candice Lynette Deal, Ph.D, Interim Associate Dean, Pompea College of Business at University of New Haven, Associate Professor of Accounting, Faculty Advisor – Women in Business Club
Dr. Deal is the Assistant Dean of the Pompea College of Business and Associate Professor of Accounting at the University of New Haven. In her Assistant Dean role, Dr. Deal will manage Assurance of Learning and AACSB Accreditation matters. Dr. Deal attended Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland where she earned a Ph.D in Accounting, a MBA with concentration in Finance, and BSc in Finance. Prior to her appointment at the University of New Haven, Dr. Deal served as an Associate Professor of Accounting at Eastern Connecticut State University for eight (8) years. There she taught accounting courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level, such as Financial Accounting, Intermediate Accounting I, II, and III, Taxation, Advanced Financial, Auditing, Accounting Theory, and International Accounting for the Masters program, just to name a few. During her time at Eastern Dr. Deal’s university service has been wide spread. She has served on many university committees including the University Senate, Promotion and Tenure Committee, various Faculty Search committees, chaired the Accounting Faculty Search numerous times, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Minority Retention and Recruitment Committee (MRRC), the Department Evaluation Committee, and the Summer Development Curriculum Grant Committee. Dr. Deal also served as Co-Chair of the AACSB Accreditation Committee. She worked on developing criteria for assessing the quality and impact of intellectual contributions for each field, faculty qualifications, adopting assessment mechanisms for each of the business programs and tools for measurement, and developing a systematic Assurance of Learning process.
Fran Hauser, Startup Investor, Advisor, Board Member, bestselling author “The Myth of the Nice Girl”
Fran Hauser is an author, keynote speaker and startup investor. She is passionate about helping women build fulfilling careers and successful businesses. Fran has invested in over 25 female-founded companies across CPG, media & publishing, and wellness. Her writing, speaking and investing is informed by 15 years spent in media, where she rose through the ranks at Time Inc. to President of Digital. She is the best-selling author of The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate which has been translated into six languages and was named “Best Business Book of the Year, 2018” by Audible. Fran’s second title, Embrace the Work, Love Your Career will be released in March 2022. Fran regularly speaks at conferences and organizations to help women build careers they love. She lives outside of NYC with her husband and two sons.
Kelley McWilliams, CFA, Senior Financial Advisory at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management (previously at Goldman Sach’s), leadership development expertise
Kelley has worked in the financial service industry for over 20 years and is currently a Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch in Westport, CT. Kelley is passionate about educating and preparing women for all stages of their financial journey.
Executive Coach, Professional Speaker, Inclusive Leadership Expert, Author, and CEO, Simone Morris Enterprises
Simone E. Morris is CEO of Simone Morris Enterprises LLC, a certified minority and women-owned business that provides transformative leadership solutions to help leaders create an inclusive workplace. She is an award-winning diversity and inclusion leader recognized by Diageo, Diversity Best Practices (now Seramount), Diversity MBA, Diversity MBE Magazine, and the Women's Business Development Council. Ms. Morris spent twenty-three years in Corporate America in the retail, consumer products, financial, pharmaceutical, and information technology industries. Her journey in the Diversity and Inclusion arena began with multiple leadership roles within an employee resource group, followed by her role as a Diversity Manager in Human Resources. Subsequently, she assumed the role of Director of Diversity for the Southern Connecticut Society for Human Resources, contributing significantly to advancing diversity initiatives in the region. Today, Ms. Morris dedicates her career to consulting, advising, speaking, training, and coaching leaders. She is committed to creating authentic, inclusive cultures. Ms. Morris is a lifelong learner who received her MBA from the University of Connecticut. She also holds an ICF PCC Coaching credential, the Project Management Professional certification, the DEI Certificate of Mastery in "Cultivating Cultures of Inclusion, Equity, and High Performance, and an AI Strategy Certificate from Cornell University. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Service at NYU Wagner and a Diversity and Inclusion course facilitator for eCornell. Ms. Morris has written 86 articles in her inclusive leadership column on Forbes. Her expertise also appears in Entrepreneur, Medium, American Management Association Playbook, Profiles in Diversity Journal, Glassdoor, Leadercast, SmartRecruiters, Social Hire, Professional Photographers of America Magazine, and Diversity Best Practices. She is also the author of Remember Me, Grammy P: A Story of How A Grandparent's Dementia Journey is a Child's Journey Too, 52 Tips for Owning Your Career: Practical Advice for Career Success, The Power of Owning Your Career: Winning Strategies, Tools, and Tips for Creating Your Desired Career, Achievement Unlocked: Strategies to Set Goals and Manifest Them, and Upward: Leadership Lessons for Women on the Rise. In addition, she is a featured contributor for A Collective Breath, Own the Microphone, and Redesign Your 9 to 5. She resides in Connecticut with her family.
Joelle A. Murchison, CEO & Founder, EMG LLC
Joelle A. Murchison is the Founder and Principal of EMG, a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and leadership consulting practice. Murchison has worked in DEI for more than two decades. In particular, she served as the Chief Diversity Officer at both Travelers Insurance and the University of Connecticut, before launching EMG. Additionally, Joelle serves as the Executive Director of Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity (LCD) and as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Business at the University of Connecticut. She is a board member for College Possible, a national nonprofit focused on college access and is a trustee and chair of the equity diversity and inclusion committee of the Corporation of Brown University, the university’s decision-making body. She is also a life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, an international public service organization, and currently serves as the president of the Hartford (CT) Alumnae Chapter. Joelle is the recipient of numerous awards; she most recently was recognized by the Life Insurance industry as a DEI Industry Partner and is a graduate of the Fall 2023 Cohort of the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women: Black in Business program
Sandra Quince, Chief Executive Officer, Bank of America Leader on Loan to Paradigm for Parity (P4P)
Sandra Quince is the Chief Executive Officer responsible for leading all elements of P4P’s strategic plan, financial, programmatic, and operational performance of the organization. She works with the coalition’s co-chairs and Board of Directors to oversee and execute the organization’s strategic vision and growth plan.
Prior to this role, Sandra was the Diversity & Inclusion Executive supporting the CEO and Chief Diversity Officer in delivering the global D&I strategy. Sandra’s work focused on growing diverse representation of the workforce, promoting an inclusive workplace where all employees can achieve their goals and meet the needs of customers. Sandra was also the head of D&I for the bank’s Global Human Resources, an organization of over 2500 employees.
Sandra’s role with Bank of America included serving as the Human Resources Leader for Oklahoma, responsible for driving employee engagement, retention and talent management for the Tulsa and Oklahoma City markets. Sandra has over 15 years of experience in Human Resources where she has driven work efforts in the areas of diversity and inclusion, talent management and development and learning across multiple organizations and industries.
Sandra was selected as one of 50 black women for the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women Impact Grant. She was named as 2022 d&I leaders as one of this year’s most inspiring diversity and inclusion leaders as well as Oklahoma’s The Journal Record’s 50 Making a Difference list of honorees for 2021. Sandra has also been featured in Essence, CEOWORLD Magazine and Fast Company and interviewed on FinTech TV, BBC and Bloomberg Radio to name a few. She is a featured leader in the newly released book Women Mean Business.
Sandra serves the community through her contributions to the executive committee and board for Family & Children’s Services, a leading provider of behavioral health care and family services in Tulsa; A member of the Greenwood Rising inaugural board dedicated to educating Oklahomans and Americans about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and its impact on the state and nation. She is one of the newest board members for the National Council of Nonprofits a trusted resource and proven advocate for America’s charitable nonprofits. Sandra also sits on the Advisory board with AceUp, a leader in enterprise leadership development and the African American Leadership Academy an organization that strives to expand the number of African American Leaders in Tulsa who excel in their professions, engage in their community, and encourage the development of upcoming leaders through programming.
Marie Rocha, Founder Realist Lab/Ventures, VC Investor, On Boards at Greenwich Academy, StamfordNext (Economic Empowerment, Hayvn Co-Working
Marie Rocha is the founder of Realist Ventures, a venture fund based in Connecticut, funding early-stage biotech and software startups. She has over 20+ years of experience in business and technology as a software engineer and serial entrepreneur. Marie's first startup was a candidates matching platform for staffing agencies. She later co-founded a sustainable e-commerce store in 2010, followed by IMAK software, a startup building software and platforms for small businesses and nonprofits. Marie founded Realist Lab, a tech incubator to support entrepreneurs seeking help with funding, technology, and practical tools to scale their businesses and startups. In her spare time, she serves on several boards and mentors underrepresented founders with their businesses and startups.
Amy Weisman, Managing Director, Sterling Investment Partners I Forbes 50 Women over 50
Amy Ludwig Weisman is currently a Managing Director at Sterling Investment Partners, a middle market private equity fund, where for over 20 years she developed and managed an extensive network of deal sources and cultivated investment opportunities. With 30+ years of experience on Wall Street, Amy has a deep understanding of how to invest capital to create value for investors and build world class business platforms. Amy is well-known in the deal making industry and is recognized for her leadership in business development and diversity. In 2021, Amy was named to the prestigious Forbes 50 Women Over 50 in the investment industry. For 2020, she was named by The Wall Street Journal as one of the “Women to Watch in Private Equity” and was also selected to be on the prominent “DealMakeHers” list comprised of 50 top female founders, CEOs and partners at VC/PE funds. In 2020 and 2021, Amy was honored as one of the Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A, by M&A Magazine. As a co-founder of Exponent Women, a platform for women in the PE/IB/VC eco-system, Amy mentors and connects with hundreds of women in various career stages. After graduating The Stephen M. Ross School of Business at The University of Michigan, Amy began her career as an M&A analyst at Smith Barney. Amy then was Vice President of Equity Research at Drexel Burnham Lambert covering the apparel and retail industries. Amy leveraged her experience in the public markets to embark on a successful career in the investor relations industry where she advised dozens of newly public companies on market positioning and implemented communications strategies to build value. Outside of work, Amy enjoys skiing, golfing and international travel with her family.
