Why Financial Inclusion Should be a Priority

Jessica Ruggles is a Corporate Vice President, leading financial wellness thought leadership and market insights for New York Life’s Financial Wellness practice. Jessica is a passionate wellbeing advocate with thesis work in psychology and communication theory and published work on financial resiliency, equitable total rewards, and the links between mental and financial health. With over a decade of wellbeing, financial services, and benefits consulting experience, Jessica focuses on a holistic and data-driven approach to wellbeing research, customer insights, and perspectives, including advisement on DE&I, financial security, and financial health solutions and strategies to drive businesses forward through offerings that best meet the needs of individuals and their families. 

In this role, Jessica builds and leads thought leadership to drive awareness and consideration of New York Life, speaking on a wide range of topics including financial wellness, health and productivity, the multi-generational workforce, employee experience, building a culture of wellbeing, and ways businesses can leverage benefits offerings to support broader human capital initiatives. Prior experience includes leading wellbeing brand concept development for a major American airline, advising Public Service Loan Forgiveness strategy for a Nonprofit Health Care System, and partnering with distribution and product teams to deliver financial wellness strategies for Fortune 500 companies that led to human capital and benefits outcomes. 

Jessica earned a bachelor’s degree in communication (summa cum laude) from the University of Hartford and an M.B.A. with dual concentrations in Management and Marketing from the University of Connecticut.  Jessica is a Series 6 and 63 registered representative and holds Life and Health Insurances licenses.

Across 20 years, Lauren has partnered with Fortune 500 and 1000 institutions to build and implement innovative community-based solutions that bolster deeper connections with communities, drive measurable and scalable impact, and tell a differentiated story. Lauren has spent nearly a decade helping to build and scale EVERFI's Financial Capability Network, which today represents over 700 financial institutions across the globe and provides financial education solutions to over 6 million learners annually from grade school to the senior population. Lauren is a member of EVERFI's Executive Team and speaks regularly on key education trends in the U.S., Impact-as-a-Service™, financial inclusion, and scalable education programs. Lauren is a graduate of the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University and lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband, two sons, and a third furry child.

Melinda (Mel) currently leads the multicultural segment in the Client Strategy Office for Wealth Management USA. An accomplished strategist with a commitment to inclusive growth, Mel is responsible for the firm’s forward-looking strategy to cultivate an inclusive investor experience and support the growth of multicultural financial advisors. Partnering closely with other senior leaders across the firm, she

expands thought leadership, champions product and solutions innovation, and identifies business opportunities.

Mel joined UBS from J.P. Morgan Private Bank, where she managed large client relationships and served as a trusted wealth management advisor to technology and health care entrepreneurs, executives, and investors. In addition, she drove engagement strategies for diverse prospects and clients as well as select firm wide diversity partnerships. Previously, Mel was a Vice President with ICONIQ Capital, a privately-held investment firm and family office. Prior to her work at ICONIQ, she was a member of the Tax Group at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where her practice included counseling family offices and private foundations. She began her career in 2000 as a consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Mel has a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Science from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. A Detroit native, she currently lives in San Francisco.

Jamila Abston Mayfield is a Partner in the EY Financial Services Business Consulting practice where she provides risk, compliance, and regulatory consulting services to key wealth and asset management, private equity, hedge fund, and banking and capital markets clients. She is also the EY Financial Inclusion Leader, and she and her team assist financial services firms in developing strategies, products, and services that create access, equity, and inclusion opportunities for underserved communities.  Jamila rejoined EY from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where she served as the Assistant Regional Director for the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations. In this role, Jamila served as an expert advisor for the SEC Examinations program, specializing in compliance program effectiveness, risk analytics, enterprise risk management, and cybersecurity for the asset management industry. She led and participated in hundreds of SEC Examinations and Enforcement investigations of investment advisers, investment companies, broker-dealers, transfer agents, alternative funds, and other industry participants.

Prior to the SEC, Jamila was a Manager in the EY Fraud Investigations and Dispute Services practice where she led restatements, investigations, and litigation support matters for healthcare, manufacturing, government, and technology clients.  Jamila is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF). She has a BA in Accounting from Florida A&M University, a MS in Accountancy from the University of Virginia, and an MBA in Asset Management from Yale University.  She was recently appointed to the SEC Investor Advisory Committee – a group that advises the Commission on regulatory priorities, trading strategies, fee structures, the effectiveness of disclosure, and other initiatives to protect investor interests.

Jamila is on the leadership team of the EY Black Professional Network and the EY Anti-Racism Task Force focusing on the recruitment, retention, and advancement of minorities.  She is a Lifetime Member of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) and an active member of the American Institute for Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Association for Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). Jamila also serves on the Yale School of Management’s Council for Anti-Racism and Equity (CARE) and is on the Board of Directors of Sanctuary for Families, New York’s leading service provider for domestic violence survivors. Jamila has received numerous accolades, including the Crain’s Notable Women in Accounting and Consulting Award, the Yale Alumni Association Leadership Award, and the SEC Community Service Award, among others.