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Wnet New York City Chapter Wrap-Up: Networking and RiseUp Panel

By Jean Crawford, Vice President, Marketing, Operations and Chief of Staff, Mastercard
 

A little spritz of rain didn’t stop the Wnet New York City Chapter from gathering on the evening of June 7 for a networking and panel event at Mastercard’s NYC Tech Hub. What was scheduled as a rooftop event was quickly relocated, but even the rainy wind could not blow aside the energy and excitement in the room from the group of more than 40 women who came together to connect and learn more about RiseUp.

With appetizers and drinks kicking it off, the ladies of Wnet quickly caught up before attending a panel hosted by Wnet Board Member and Wnet RiseUp Committee lead Jess Turner, who is responsible for Global Open Banking and API at Mastercard.

Jess was joined by RiseUp alumni Chilli Chilwan and Amber Dawkins, and Wnet Member Kathy Kmiotek of FortisPay, who was also part of the most recent RiseUp Cohort. RiseUp is a global program focused on helping women unlock the next steps in their careers, no matter what stage they are at, by providing the network, tools and techniques needed to help them strategically advance and level-up in the industry. More than 60% of RiseUp participants are women of color.

Read more.

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Elevate Your Career Webinar Wrap-Up: By Presenters Stephanie Polen and Julie Holunga View a short video of the June 21 interactive event about How To Intentionally Build Relationship Capital. Plus, watch the webinar here. Join Stephanie & Julie again this fall as they facilitate our NEW PayTech Women Executive Academy—an exclusive cohort program designed to propel you to succeed. Apply today.

NEW FROM WNET!

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 Good News about Our Members and Partners  

Amy Parsons Retiring from Discover

Three-time Most Influential Women in Payments Reveals Insights about the Evolution of Wnet, Women Leaders and the Industry

Interview by Discover’s Brianna Frost, Product Manager, and Joanna Hanner, Director, Corporate Strategy and Development

After an impressive 25+-year career at Discover, Amy Parsons, Senior Vice President, is ready to spend more time with her family and in her garden, nurturing the things she loves. The three-time recipient of PaymentsSource’s Most Influential Women in Payments will retire from Discover in July 2022.

Known for representing the global nature of the payments industry, one of Amy’s biggest career accomplishments was building a global ATM network from scratch within a year to serve Discover's acquisition of Diners Club International.

Brianna Frost and Joanna Hanner, other accomplished women at Discover, sat down with Amy to explore her career, her connection with Wnet, and her hopes for the industry and the women who are helping it grow and prosper.

You were one of the original members and proponents of Wnet? Why was it important to you to get involved?

Amy: I was invited to Wnet’s first Career and Leadership Summit in 2006 and I was curious about this new group of women. There was a small group of us at that first event as compared to the hundreds who attend today. I explored their new views of the payments industry and spent much of my time simply listening—to the speakers, like ETA Hall of Famer Pam Joseph, and those around me. I started to make connections and could see the value of networking with these innovative women.

Soon after joining Wnet, I knew it was important to get Discover involved. I became our Corporate Champion of engagement because I realized that women helping women was so powerful and an endeavor that Discover should support. I wanted us to make a difference in the lives of women in our organization and beyond.

Read more.

MEMBER MOVES

• Kayla Christopher, MBA, has been promoted to BL Regulatory Review Manager and Assistant Vice President at U.S. Bank. "I am very grateful to the wonderful women of Wnet," said Kayla. "I have benefitted so much from the leadership and guidance of the talented women within this group."
• Mandy Killam has started a new position as Chief Transformation and Operations Officer at Bottomline Technologies.

Congratulations!
If you have moved to a new company, have a new role, or been nominated to a board, tell us so we can highlight you in MEMBER MOVES! Send details and press release link if applicable to info@wnetonline.org.

WNET NEWS 

• NOW OPEN: Wnet Awards honor members who have made significant contributions in support of our mission and values. Would you like to be considered or do you know a Wnet member who is deserving of an award? Log in to submit a nomination now. Deadline is July 15.
• Wnet will be closed July 4 in honor of Independence Day.
• PayTech News will have one issue in July. Watch for it in your inbox on July 26.

PARTNER NEWS 

• THANK YOU to Pinnacle Corporate Partner Global Payments and Ambassador Corporate Partner Visa for renewing their Wnet memberships! Their renewals support diversity, equity and inclusion for our 4,500+ members and the larger payments and fintech industry. View all the industry companies investing in Wnet and investing in women
• THANK YOU to these new sponsors (as of June 17) of the 2022 Leadership Summit, EmPowered by FIS: Discover, JPMorgan Chase & Co., MerchantE and Protiviti. Demonstrate your commitment to diversity and inclusion by supporting opportunities at the Leadership Summit through a sponsorship.
• Discover eyes benefits of downturn. Read more.
• FIS and North American Bancard are recognized as leading payment gateways with a 2022 API Award. Read more.
• Mastercard spearheads a new Web3 and Crypto Community. Read more.
• Paya teams with Promise as an integrated payments partner. Read more.
• Paysafe finds more than 1 in 3 Americans have permanently changed their payment habits following the pandemic. Read more.

American Banker: Banks weigh in on the overturning of Roe v. Wade

Digital Transactions: The New Face of BNPL

Digital Transactions: Chip Shortfalls Will Plague Payment Card Deliveries Through 2023, the SPA Warns

The GreenSheet: In-store payments get personal

FinTech Futures: Women in finance – where are they?

The FinTech Times: Paysafe: The Evolution of Mobile Wallets

PYMNTS.com: Payments Technologies Level the Playing Field for Female Entrepreneurs

PR Newswire: Jack Henry Enables Faster Payments for More than 250 Financial Institutions

Celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month Month

by Kayla Christopher, MBA Wnet Pride/LGBTQ Chair BL Regulatory Review Manager  |  Assistant Vice President U.S. Bank

The Day I Changed Someone's Opinion about Gay People

Back in September 2013, I was 35 and had started a job in the default mortgage call center with U.S. Bank in downtown St. Louis. I became best friends with a male co-worker, Tom, who sat in front of me in our cube row. We shared a similar sense of humor and were both avid St. Louis sports fans of our local teams, the Cardinals and the Blues. We would frequently chat in between our work calls about our families, personal lives outside of work, sports, bitching about crazy mortgage customers, our managers or our call stats. We would help each other solve work problems and trusted each other's judgement about issues. 

After a few months, I privately came out to him that I was bisexual and was in a relationship with a live-in girlfriend. Now, Tom was a devout Christian of Catholic faith with traditionally conservative political values and ethics. He was absolutely against gay marriage and the recognition of it as law in our country. However, Tom never personally knew anyone that was LGBTQ and in a same-sex relationship. I was the first person he ever got to know on a personal basis who was gay.

Read more.

LEARN, CONTRIBUTE, WATCH AGAIN

The Wnet Thought Leadership Center, curated by members, for members, gives you access to best-of-the-best links to research, articles, publications and industry information. Plus, members can watch replays of most Wnet events in the TLC!

• (Article) Books on How to be an Ally by Debra Oglesby, FIS
• (Webinar) Elevate Your Career: How To Intentionally Build Relationship Capital
• (Article) 6 Ways to Respectfully Be a Better LGBTQ Ally by Debra Oglesby, FIS
• (Article)  How to Be More LGBTQ+-Inclusive at Work by Debra Oglesby, FIS
  

We Invite YOU to Contribute!
Found a great article you want to share with Wnet members?
Be the connection! Share it in the TLC.

• Join the Wnet Book Club or an Inclusion Group
• Connect in SocialLink, our member community
• Meet your Wnet Leaders
• Join your local Chapter

Not a member? Learn more about joining Wnet to enjoy all the benefits of membership!