Suzanne Shank

In honor of Suzanne Shank being named our 2025 Woman of Influence, we sat down with her to discuss her experiences, advice for others and her passion for philanthropy. Suzanne is President and CEO of Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC one of the nation’s top-ranked investment banking firms.

Below we share our conversation with Suzanne who will be celebrated at our Women of Influence event on March 14, 2025 for her groundbreaking leadership in finance and lifelong commitment to community empowerment through literacy and education.

Congratulations on being named our 2025 Woman of Influence! Tell us what this award means to you.

It’s really quite an honor! It’s an acknowledgement not only of my contributions but my efforts towards the collective work that’s being done to inspire change, to support those in need, and to advocate for social justice. It really encourages and motivates me to continue my efforts to make a positive difference.

We’re always interested to know a little bit about the women who have inspired our Woman of Influence – both personally and professionally.

I have to start with my mother. She graduated from Spelman College at 19 and went on to become a teacher and worked her way up to be an administrator in the public school system. Just observing her taught me stubborn optimism and the power to change your plight through hard work and perseverance. She also taught me the power of preparation.

She also taught you to read by age three! And now, you’re a supporter of United Way’s literacy work. Is that where your passion for literacy comes from?

Reading is such an important foundational skill. I’m grateful my mother instilled that in me early. So many of our young people today are behind in their reading proficiency levels and I believe it’s critically important that we change that. We’re proud to support United Way’s literacy efforts to get more books into the hands of students and start building that strong foundation for other skills.

We’re so grateful for your support and partnership. Are there other women who inspire you?

My grandmother is another inspiring woman. She grew up during the Great Depression and experienced a lot of hardship being black in the South during that era. As I got to know her, I was amazed at the breadth of her vocabulary. I would need a dictionary to fully understand the words she was using effortlessly.

You know, of course, I have to mention Muriel Siebert who was my business partner in the firm. In 1967, she became the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. She was a trailblazer and pioneer for all women on Wall Street. Muriel was also the first woman I met who really gave preferential treatment to women. She had such a fight in her, and she became such a great mentor and champion for me.

Wow, they both sound like incredible women but they likely would have measured success in different ways. How do you measure success?

For me, success is when hard work pays off. Now, that doesn’t always happen immediately; sometimes you have to be patient. Success is also having repeat clients. I think that has a lot to do with staying true to your core tenets. For my firm, Siebert Williams Shank, that’s strong performance, ethics and integrity.

You were a civil engineer before going into finance. What advice do you have for other women who are looking to pivot or make a bold leap in their careers?

Graduate school paved the way for me. It also helps to have strong mentors who can expose you to the breadth of disciplines within a given field. One should never assume that your past experience won’t be relevant to your future goals even if it’s a shift. I initially decided to go into municipal bond underwriting to leverage my civil engineering degree; rather than designing infrastructure projects, I shifted my focus to financing them. Even before that, I worked in a department store in high school. I was historically a very shy person but the skills I learned there are still helping me because a big aspect of my job today is marketing the firm.

That’s great advice – use every little bit of your experience. With experience comes challenges. Tell us about some of the challenges you have faced as a Black woman in a male-dominated field?

There have been many challenges over the years. Given I was an engineer with no Wall Street exposure, I wasn’t invited to any of the big firm interviews while seeking that first summer internship at Wharton. As a result, I traveled to New York city for the first time by myself, bought a subway map and found my way to a boutique firm that wasn’t even planning on hiring anyone for the summer but they ended up hiring me.

Many times, I’m the only or one of very few women or people of color in the room. That incentivizes me to speak up, gain a little more attention and make my points known. Yes, I may look different but I’m capable and experienced and I use that to my competitive advantage. I’m very persistent and I think I’m much more able to weather ups and downs as a woman in a male dominated field.

You have not only earned a seat at the Wall Street table but you have also used your voice to elevate others and encourage more diversity in the boardroom. How would you encourage others to use their positions to create more opportunity for others?

My partner and I were fortunate to receive the Earl Graves Visionary Award in 2022 from Black Enterprise. Mr. Graves had a quote in his office that read, “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” I’ve been trying to leave that trail wherever I go – particularly if I’m the first to accomplish something. I think those fortunate enough to gain access to valuable C-Suite and board room seats have an obligation to pave the way for others. I also think that we cannot see it as a risk to show up as our full, authentic selves. From my experience, people value diverse perspectives. I’m perplexed with those who don’t use the seat in the manner that I do quite frankly.

We’ve heard you talk fondly about growing up in Savannah and the importance of the “village.” Tell us about the importance of returning to the concept of a village in current times and how that can benefit children long-term.

I think it’s critically important to have a village of support at every age and stage. Growing up, my village included my parents, relatives, teachers, and counselors. The village has the power to instill confidence in our young people to pursue their goals despite the odds. The village our youth needs now includes elected officials, philanthropic groups, not-for-profit organizations, businesses, and taxpayers willing to lean in and provide wraparound supports. We have a strong foundation of that here in Michigan.

You remain deeply committed to philanthropy despite your busy schedule. Why is it important for you to carve out time to give back?

Growing up, my first aspiration was to be a social worker. I often rode around town with my mom and because we were part of the village, we were always dropping off items for people – from food to clothing to blankets, etc. It was just ingrained in me that good people give back. As a result, since my firm’s inception, we have always been very philanthropic and working to make a positive impact in every community where we do business.

That’s very admirable. It sounds like you’re establishing quite a legacy. In thinking about your success, what is it that you want your legacy to be?

A few years back we created what we called the Clear Vision Impact Fund to help the next generation of entrepreneurs who are struggling to find access to capital and contracts. We raised $145 million from our corporate clients and we are actively deploying those funds to provide much needed capital to help these companies grow and scale. I’d love to be able to look back and say those businesses prospered, propelled the next generation of entreprenuers and improved underserved communities.

I also have two kids and I hope to have grandchildren one day – my hope is to motivate them and others to know that the sky is the limit. If I, as a very quiet shy young person from Savannah GA, who grew up with very humble beginnings made her way to Wall Street then the sky can really be the limit for anyone.

We can’t think of a better note to end on. Thank you so much for your time and your candor. And thank you for your ongoing support of our community.