On Wednesday, April 14, the Detroit Chapter of the National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP) gathered at the Detroit Athletic Club for “Encore V: Impacting Lives.” The event was the 5th annual awards ceremony and scholarship banquet fundraiser, thanks to Ford Motor Company, UAW and GM Ventures.
The NASP is an organization that helps minorities and women achieve inclusion in all aspects of the financial securities industry. Along with working to ensure women and minorities are included in the world of financial securities, NASP-Detroit has made the pursuit of higher education “priority number one.”
The evening began with a cocktail reception and live band in the Pontchartrain Room at the athletic club. After drinks and mingling, guests were invited into the main dining room where dinner was served. Dinner was followed by an awards ceremony where “five of Detroit’s finest men and women who contributed significant inroads toward progress in the city of Detroit and beyond” were honored for their dedication and hard work.
The honorees included Charlie Harrison, chair of the City of Pontiac Retirement System; Cynthia Thomas, administrator, City of Detroit Police and Fire Retirement System; Hiram Jackson, CEO, Real Rimes Media; Gail Perry-Mason, senior director of investments, Oppenheimer & Company; and Jimmy Settles, VP/director, UAW National Ford Dept.
Stock broker-financial analyst and president of the NASP-Detroit Chapter, Kathleen Colin, named the fifth installment of the encore series as one of her life highlights as she credits “giving back and having compassion” among her three keys to success in business and networking.
Since its inception in 2007, the Shafter Terry III scholarship fund has awarded a total of over $140,000 to 120 students. The event, with its $150-ticket price tag, is “the major fundraiser for the scholarship fund,” said NASP-Detroit VP Adrian Anderson. The success of the scholarship fund also ranks very highly on Anderson’s list of lifelong dreams, as he is very passionate about the future generation of Metro-Detroiters.
Settles was honored by the committee with the lifetime achievement award for his work with the UAW, which started in 1970 when he was elected to the General Council of Local 600. Since then, he has served in many capacities with the UAW, with his current position of VP being the highest ranking. –ryan bridges
