Session One: Steps to Take Now
JWI works to ensure that women everywhere can thrive in part by helping them take control of their financial futures. We know that right now, everyone’s finances look a bit different, in one way or another. To help you navigate these unexpected changes, we’re offering our Young Women’s Leadership Network (for women ages 22 to 35) a three-part virtual series on “Recalibrating Your Finances During COVID-19.”
The series will cover a wide variety of topics, including what you can do right now to improve your financial situation, how to pivot your career, and how to employ the financial habits you’re building right now in a post-COVID world.
We encourage you to join us for all three sessions (each taking place at 8:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. PST) to take full advantage of the series, so please be sure to register for each session separately:
Zoom meeting information will be provided upon registration.
We want this series to be accessible to all, so please consider supporting JWI’s crucial work by donating any amount that feels comfortable. Additionally, you have the option to purchase a Young Women’s Leadership Network membership with your ticket to the series. (If the Network isn’t yet present in your city but you’d like it to be, email Rachel Evans.)
Session One Speakers
Michelle P. Cooper
Michelle P. Cooper is the director and co-founder of XML-W, a division of XML Financial Group focused on the financial needs of women. A 25-year veteran of the estate planning, finance, and tax fields, Cooper previously worked for Merrill Lynch and U.S. Trust, where she helped high-net-worth clients design and update their estate plans and educated more than 650 financial advisors on estate planning and trust services. Before starting her financial services career in 1996, Cooper was an attorney specializing in tax and estate planning. Her book, I’ve Still Got Me - A Widow’s Journey to Love, Happiness & Financial Independence, is about her personal story of resilience after losing her husband to suicide. She hopes that sharing her journey will empower women to become more active and involved with their finances and estate plan.
Ilene West Gordon
Ilene West Gordon is a residential real estate agent specializing in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. As a native Washingtonian with extensive market knowledge, Ilene skillfully advises her clients to achieve the best possible outcome. Her experience coupled with sharp negotiating skills helps buyers find their dream homes at the best possible price and sellers enjoy a seamless, profitable experience. Ilene is proud to be a member of an all woman real estate team, The Banner Team. With over 30 years in business, The Banner Team is consistently recognized as one of the top teams in the area and the nation by The Wall Street Journal, Bethesda Magazine and Washingtonian Magazine. She has served on boards of the Washington Hospital Foundation and The Bullis School. When Ilene is not working you’ll find her spending time with family and friends, renovating homes throughout the city, walking, biking, skiing and playing with her chocolate lab, Muddy.
Deborah Rosenbloom
Deborah Rosenbloom, JD/MPA, is JWI's vice president of programs and new initiatives. As such, she is responsible for directing and implementing JWI’s programmatic work to end and prevent violence against women and girls. For more than 15 years, Rosenbloom has led JWI’s innovative efforts, which include engaging the Jewish and interfaith communities in advocacy and resource development, providing training to the domestic community, empowering men and boys to be allies, advocating for anti-violence legislation, empowering young women with skills to boost their economic security, and collaborating with diverse organizations. She leads several faith-based initiatives, including a Clergy Task Force that empowers spiritual leaders to address abuse in their congregations, a federal grant to engage men and boys in violence prevention and healthy masculinity in the Orthodox Jewish community in Baltimore, and the Interfaith Coalition that advocates for legislation to protect women and girls.
Rosenbloom is an experienced trainer who presents regularly at conferences and on college campuses. She attended The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, holds a B.A., cum laude in history from Cornell University, and a J.D./M.P.A. from Syracuse University College of Law and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.