Board Of Directors

Texas Wall Street Women is run by an all-volunteer staff from our Board of Directors, Advisory Board, Angels and Committee Members. Take a moment to get to know us and we look forward to meeting you at an upcoming event!

Nichole Ake SVP BBVA

Recognized by BBVA’s Top Talent Program and TXWSW’s celebration of A Decade of Phenomenal Women.

She started her career in Boston before making her way to Texas. She has over 20 years of experience in operations, trading and compliance with startups, boutiques, large, & international firms. During that time, Nichole has held various roles within financial services: trader, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Compliance Officer and AML Officer.

Nichole’s speaking engagements include: Thomson Reuters, HFBOA, DSTA, NSCP, and STA where she promotes operational risk management, industry, compliance and regulatory focused initiatives as well as initiatives supporting women in leadership. Learning and sharing are lifelong passions of hers as is evidenced by her degree in Finance from Boston College, an MBA from Southern Methodist University, the Securities Industry Institute (SII) program through Wharton/SIFMA as well as other notable management certificates from University of Texas, University of Dallas and University of North Carolina executive programs.

Nichole actively engages in her community and takes on leadership roles to support their missions: BBVA’s Volunteer Chapter, Women in Leadership and LeaderLink, SIFMA AML, TXWSW Board of Directors, Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professionals PTO, and The Women’s Resource. She volunteers as a mentor for BBVA employees and Boston College students.

Kristen Binkley Director, Market Leader, BlackRock, Head of Volunteerism, TXWSW

Kristen is a Market Leader for the Registered Investment Advisor Team at BlackRock, covering key relationships in Texas and Louisiana.

Prior to joining BlackRock in 2015, Kristen was part of Lord Abbett where she was a Regional Manager with the Advisor Services Group responsible for working with financial advisors, investment advisors, and wealth managers throughout northeastern Texas.

Ms. Binkley has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. She earned a BS in business administration from the State University of New York at Albany in 2000 and holds series 7, 63 and 65 licenses.

In addition to her involvement with Texas Wall Street Women, she also serves on the board for the Society of International Business Fellows where she is Co-Chair for the state of Texas.

Kristen and her husband reside in Dallas with their son.

Christine Breck,CFA, Principal, Breck Capital Advisors, President & Founder, TXWSW

Christine has over 25 years of experience in the financial industry. In 2000, she joined Source Trading, a broker/dealer that served institutional investors including hedge funds, state agencies, mutual funds, and family offices. In addition to business development for the trading business, Christine raised over $1 billion in assets for a select few of the firm’s hedge fund clients.

Prior to joining Source, Christine was a Relationship Manager group head for five years at the Bank of New York. While in New York, she ran the Endowment and Foundation Group, and then in London she was responsible for the insurance industry team. Previously, she held positions in commercial finance at Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken and the Bank of Darien.

In 2008, she founded Texas Wall Street Women, a not-for-profit networking and philanthropic group for women in the financial industry in Texas (www.txwsw.com). The organization has over 3,000 members across the state and hosts events in Dallas, Austin, and Houston each month using an all-volunteer staff. On the philanthropy side, the organization supports the college readiness programs at the schools founded by the Young Women’s Preparatory Network through both financial contributions and volunteerism.

Christine received a BA in French from Connecticut College and is a CFA charterholder. She is also a Registered Yoga Teacher. Christine holds the following FINRA licenses: 7, 24, 50, 55, 63 & 79. She served for two years as the co-chairman of the Trader/Portfolio Manager Peer Advisory Committee for 100 Women in Hedge Funds in New York and started the Texas Chapter of 100 WHF. She currently serves on the board of the Young Women’s Preparatory Network. She is an avid golfer and lives in Austin, TX with her husband and two frenchies.

Claire Hetherington Darr, Esq. Managing Director, Newhouse + Noblin

Claire Darr is a Managing Director with Newhouse + Noblin, a national full service legal and executive recruiting firm. Claire leads Newhouse + Noblin’s financial services division, in addition to recruiting in other industries. Prior to joining Newhouse + Noblin, Claire was an Assistant General Counsel of Jasper Ridge Partners, a private wealth management firm with over $15 billion in assets under management. Prior to joining Jasper Ridge Partners, Claire was a Senior Associate in the Corporate and Investment Funds Practice Group of Haynes and Boone, LLP. Claire Darr is licensed to practice law in the State of Texas, holds a J.D. degree from Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law and an LLB (Hons) degree from the University of Northumbria, United Kingdom.

Colleen W Dean, CFP® Managing Director, Private Bank, JP Morgan, Board Member & Co-City Head, San Antonio

Colleen Dean has 35 years of experience in the financial services industry. In 1986, she began her career by joining the J.P. Morgan Chase Commercial Banking Officer Development Program in Houston, Texas.   In her most recent position as a Managing Director in the San Antonio office of the J.P. Morgan Private Bank, she advised a variety of clients, including corporate executives, entrepreneurs, retired professionals, and those in need of fiduciary and trust services. Colleen led strategic planning initiatives in banking, investments and lending in order to achieve legacy and sustainability goals. With a career in finance spent entirely with J.P. Morgan, Colleen’s background includes experience in credit analysis, commercial lending, Human Resources and loan review. She has been in the Private Bank since 1992, an area that suits her desire to work directly with clients on their most meaningful goals.

Colleen is focused on community issues, believes strongly in the power of supporting other professionals, particularly women, and has served in a variety of leadership positions over her career. Colleen is very well-connected in the community and often hosts diverse groups to advance professional relationships. Colleen is a Director and past Board Chair for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio. She is an Advisory Board member for the Texas State University’s McCoy College of Business as well as the United Way of San Antonio.  She was recently elected to the Board of Texas Wall Street Women/San Antonio Chapter.
 
Colleen is a graduate of Texas State University, where she earned a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising with a minor in Business. She received an M.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from The University of Texas. Colleen is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and holds series 7, 9, 10, 63 and 24 licenses.
 
Married with two grown children, Colleen and her husband, Jake, enjoy getting out and spending time with family and friends. For fun, she has stepped up activities involving her passion for painting and hiking.

Alison Hermann, CAIA Investment Professional, Endowments, Trinity University, Board Member & Co-City Head, San Antonio

An endowment professional with experience investing across asset classes, Alison joined Trinity University’s $1.4bn endowment in San Antonio in 2019. She focuses on monitoring, due diligence and sourcing investment managers of all mandates as well as several operational initiatives to continue institutionalizing the university’s Office of Investments. Previously, she was a member of the Marketable Alternatives team at UTIMCO for seven years, providing qualitative and quantitative research and monitoring across hedge fund strategies. Alison began her career in asset management at Austin Capital, a former hedge fund of funds based in Austin, TX. Prior she held positions in fixed income and capital finance. She received her MBA from Butler University and Bachelors of Science from Indiana University. She holds the Chartered Alternatives Investment Analyst certification and has been active in the Texas Wall Street Women organization since its launch, including serving as Austin’s Education Committee Chair.

Alison and her husband, Will, live in the San Antonio with their three girls- Julia (11), Sophie and Whitney (6).

Anca Ion, CFA CIO of Internal Investments - Texas Treasury Trust Co.

Anca Ion is CIO of Internal Investments for Texas Treasury Trust Company which invests, manages and oversees over $70 billion in assets. Anca is directly responsible for the oversight of $40 billion internally managed investments and is a member of the Investment Committee for the External Investments, participating in strategy and allocation across all the asset classes. She joined Texas Trust in 2005 and previously was responsible for managing a $10 billion portfolio across fixed income asset classes -ABS, MBS, Corporates. Before moving to Austin, she worked as Investment Officer for Achmea Romania managing the insurance company’s investment portfolio. Anca holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance and is a CFA Charterholder.

Before serving on the TXWSW Board of Directors, Anca was for five years the Chair of the Education Committee in Austin. She currently serves on the Board of the CFA Society of Austin.

Mindy Jones Managing Principal, Pyxis Care Management, Board Member & Committee Member, Fort Worth

Ms. Jones founded Pyxis Care Management, a healthcare advocacy firm. Daily, she pairs her passion for improving lives with health industry expertise and 20 years of management and corporate experience with extensive senior management background in business analysis, sales, and marketing. Mindy is a Texas Certified Guardian, a Certified Senior Advisor, and was named a “Healthcare Hero” by the Fort Worth Business Press. Community service plays an important role in her life. Not only is she a mother, she is also a lifetime member of Girl Scouts of America and a member of National Alliance on Mental Illness. She and her husband are active in their church and in scouting as well as in their children’s schools. Mindy has been an active member of Texas Wall Street Women since 2015 and is an active member on the board.

Bianca B. King President & Creative Director, Seven5 Seven3 Marketing Group, Marketing Director, TXWSW

Bianca has served as the Marketing Director of Texas Wall Street Women since 2017. She is the President and Creative Director of Seven5 Seven3 Marketing Group, a digital marketing agency serving business clients nationally since 2008. Bianca is known for her results-driven creative marketing strategies. She has been featured in several online and nationally recognized print publications. Bianca has also written for online publications, including The Story Exchange.org, Women’s Forum.com, and the National Association of Women on the Rise.com. She is a founding and former board member of the Something for Kelly Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit fighting to end eating disorders, where she served as a marketing strategist for five years.

Before launching her digital marketing agency, Bianca worked at Cushman & Wakefield for almost a decade. During her time with the real estate firm, she served as a Brokerage Associate and Financial Analyst, where she was part of the investments sales team that sold over $1.4 billion in real estate assets.

With over 20 years of marketing experience and an MBA in eCommerce Marketing, Bianca brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her clients.  Bianca resides in Dallas with her husband and loves trying new recipes, gardening, and traveling.

Sheel Patel Board Member & Houston City Head

Sheel is an experienced executive with a record of leading strong finance and accounting operations and collaborating with clients and cross-functional teams. Her versatile skillset has allowed her to quickly adapt to various industries and new or changing environments.

She started her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she spent almost eleven years and advanced to senior manager. She is a CPA with a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Kent State University.

Sheel has experience working with nonprofits, both at PricewaterhouseCoopers and more recently as CFO for one of TIAA’s endowment management businesses, Covariance Capital Management, which partnered with nonprofits to operate as their full-service outsourced chief investment officer.

Sheel is currently Board of Trustee for the Houston Ballet and serves on the Investment Committee. She is serving as Houston City Head for TXWSW. After growing up in the Midwest, she now calls Houston home, where she lives with her husband, two children and goldendoodle.

Wanda Potts Director of Finance and Compliance at e360 Power, LLC., Vice President & Assistant Treasurer, TXWSW

Wanda has over 20 years of experience in the hedge fund industry specifically in accounting and business administration. Previously, she was the Chief Financial Officer of Phillips Trading Group, Inc., Michael Marcus’ commodity futures and foreign exchange trading firm, and the Chief Financial Officer of Austin Capital Management, a fund-of-funds firm.

Wanda obtained her education at St. Edwards University, is a founding member and Vice President of Texas Wall Street Women, serves on the board of Texas Alternative Investment Association, is a member of the National Society of Compliance Professionals.

Becky Reeder CPA, Partner, Audit Investment Funds, Board Member & Fort Worth City Head

 Becky is an audit partner in the investment funds practice at Weaver where she began her career in 2005. She has over 15 years of public accounting experience overseeing financial statement audits for investment management and hedge funds; private equity and venture capital funds; broker-dealers; financial institutions; and manufacturing and distribution companies.

She is a certified public accountant and active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA) and a current board member of Texas Wall Street Women (TXWSW). She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Hardin-Simmons University.

Becky is also involved in the community through her service on the boards of E.A. Young Academy and the Weaver Foundation. Becky also enjoys spending time traveling with her husband and two kids.

Donette Stubblefield Managing Executive, Wealth Management, American Bank, Co-Head of Programming, Houston

As a senior executive in the Wealth Management, Private Banking and Fiduciary Services industry, Donette Stubblefield Manley has demonstrated an impressive ability to build and lead complex teams to ensure that high net worth clients receive the understanding, commitment and insight needed to grow and protect their assets. In her current role as Managing Executive, Wealth Management, at American Bank, she is focused on developing and implementing the bank’s significant Wealth Management strategy, including Trust and Financial Planning, Wealth Advisory, Investment Management and Private Banking.

Donette brings experience from other large regional banks, most recently serving as Houston Global Wealth Market Executive and Chief Fiduciary Officer for a large Texas regional bank. 

Stubblefield continues to be involved in the Houston community, serving several boards and non-profits, both within the financial and fine arts communities. 

Shoshana Thoma-IsgurAssociate General Counsel, FirstCash, Board Member & Committee Member, Fort Worth

Shoshana Thoma-Isgur is Associate General Counsel at FirstCash, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCFS), the world’s largest, international, publicly traded, pawn lending and resale company. Shoshana currently oversees the company’s U.S. legal operations. Before Shoshana joined FirstCash, she was a Principal Consultant at ACA Compliance Group where she worked with investment advisers to promote their compliance with SEC regulatory requirements. Prior to joining ACA, Shoshana was a partner at two international law firms, where she helped investment management clients with SEC regulatory requirements, private fund formation, and securities, compliance, and enforcement matters at the federal and state level. She also coordinated a firm legal team to assist health care clients with investment structures subject to federal health care fraud-and-abuse laws. Prior to that, Shoshana spent almost eight years as an SEC Enforcement Attorney conducting securities law investigations and was a member of the SEC’s Asset Management Unit. Shoshana started her career at a regional law firm in Fort Worth, Texas.

Shoshana earned her law degree, cum laude, from St. Mary’s School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Shoshana has also served on the board of the Texas Oklahoma Plains Girl Scouts Council.

Ashleigh B. WhiteCPA, Audit Senior Manager, KPMG, Board Member & Co-Head of Programming, Dallas

Audit Senior Manager, KPMG
Chairman Education Committee, Dallas

Ashleigh White is a Senior Manager in the Asset Management practice of KPMG. Mrs. White began her career with Rothstein Kass in 2009 where she worked with various domestic and offshore clients within the alternative investment industry, including hedge funds, fund of funds, private equity funds and management companies.  She joined KPMG as part of the Rothstein Kass acquisition in 2014 and maintains her previous responsibilities.

Mrs. White received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University and a Master of Science in Accounting from The University of Texas at Arlington. Mrs. White is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA), Texas Alternative Investments Association (TAIA) and Texas Young Professionals – Dallas Chapter (TYP).

Mrs. White serves as the Treasurer for TAIA, has acted as a formal mentor to high school girls through the Foundation for the Education of Young Woman’s mentorship program and volunteers at the TurnAround Agenda Food Pantry.

Junior Board Members

Jena Michels Investment Manager, Blueprint Local, Junior Board Member & Programming Committee, Austin

Jena is an Investment Manager at Blueprint Local, a national investment firm focused on real estate and operating business investments. Prior to joining Blueprint Local in early, Jena was an Associate Director at the University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO) where she worked from 2013-2019. At UTIMCO, Jena focused on sourcing, underwriting and monitoring of investments across long/short equity, distressed credit, event, multi-strategy and global macro hedge fund strategies. Prior to UTIMCO, Jena held similar positions at Ascension Health, a large non-profit hospital system based in St. Louis, Missouri and the University of Arizona Investment Office. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration and an M.S. in Finance from the University of Arizona.

Phoebe C. Park Co-Founder, Sabi Partners, Junior Board Member

Phoebe is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Sabi Partners LLC, which is a search fund established with the sole purpose of acquiring and operating one business in the healthcare sector. As the daughter of two entrepreneurs, she believes hustle, hard work, and humility are core building blocks in her DNA.

Phoebe spent nearly a decade as a Banker at J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Dallas, Texas. Most recently as a Vice President, she was responsible for business development and relationship management for ultra-high net worth individuals, families, and foundations. She and her team provided strategic, proactive advice to clients in the areas of banking, lending, investing, and estate and wealth transfer planning. Phoebe began her career in public accounting as an auditor at Wagner, Eubank & Nichols (now Whitley Penn), primarily focused on serving family-owned, family-operated businesses within healthcare, financial services, software, and industrials. Her unwavering will to win and tireless determination have served as the foundation for her successful professional career. Phoebe finds great joy in building relationships with and working alongside talented business owners, which has compelled her to pursue her next step as a business owner and operator.

Phoebe earned her MS in Management (2023) from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, where she graduated as a Robert L. Joss Scholar. She served as Co-President of the Student Association and was actively involved in Women’s Search Network, publishing the organization’s inaugural newsletter series. She continues to be an active member of the alumni community, participating in a variety of initiatives.

At Southern Methodist University, Phoebe earned both her MS (2013) and BBA (2012) in Accounting and her Minor in Advertising (2012). She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas. In addition, Phoebe serves as a Board Member for Texas Wall Street Women. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and anything involving physical fitness, including Peloton cycling, running, and hiking.

Interested in Volunteering?



If you would like to learn more about getting involved as a volunteer, you may reach out to any of us or email us at info@txwsw.com

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