Advancing Women: The Boston Club

The Boston Club
Image: thebostonclub.com

Ellen Griggs, board director at E. Ritter & Company, sits on the Corporate Board Committee of The Boston Club, one of the largest organizations for women executives in the northeast. Ellen Griggs continues to contribute to this important group, which has over 40 years of history and countless success stories from women in dozens of top leadership positions.

As both a club and a cause, The Boston Club started in 1976 by a small group of women who wanted to see additional leadership opportunities at Fortune 500 companies and more. Those who are a part of the club hold various accomplishments in their respective fields and give back to their communities, while supporting their fellow women in their career pursuits. Members are offered a wide range of problem solving aid, including the chance to speak with other more senior members for advice and counsel.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for many businesses, and the Club also promotes leadership programs and workshops for women navigating today’s complex workplace cultures. Aside from various meetings and programs to help leaders grow, there are many social events and networking opportunities to attend, from lunches to golf trips. The Boston Club continues to be an advocate and a resource for women in leadership positions.

The Year Up Works to Overcome the Opportunity Divide

Year Up
Image: yearup.org

A graduate of Kenyon College, where she completed her degree in religion and philosophy, Ellen Griggs has since become a board director of Market Street Trust Company, E. Ritter and Company and Evanston Capital. Aside from her professional work, Ellen Griggs finds time to volunteer as a mentor at Year Up.

Founded in 2000, Year Up is a nonprofit organization that helps empower young adults from low-income backgrounds to overcome poverty within a year as they transition to professional careers. Having started in Boston, Year Up eventually spread to other places, including Silicon Valley and Jacksonville. Since 2000, it has served over 10,000 students.

Year Up believes that the problem that young people need to overcome is the opportunity divide, a theory which contends that although there are enough job opportunities available, millions of young adults who have enough talent and motivation do not have enough opportunities to join the workforce.

To bridge this divide, Year Up identifies eligible young adults in urban areas and companies in need of new talent. These young adults receive six months of skills training, followed by a six-month internship at the partner company. Upon graduation, the student will be able to launch a meaningful career while contributing to the economy.

Ellen Griggs’ Advice at the 2006 Milken Institute Global Conference

Milken Institute Global Conference
Image: milkeninstitute.org

Since 2009, Ellen Griggs has served on many boards, including those of Boston Medical Center and InvestorForce in Pennsylvania. As a respected professional in the investment industry, Ellen Griggs served as a speaker during the 2006 Milken Institute Global Conference.

The Milken Institute Global Conference is an annual event that convenes world leaders in different industries to explore solutions to some of the most critical problems in financial markets, health, education, and government. As a speaker in 2006, Griggs talked about trends in global fixed-income and credit markets.

At the time of the conference, investors in these markets were facing strong market growths. This begged the question, where should they invest their money? During her speech, Griggs spoke about asset allocation. With traditional diversification techniques becoming obsolete, she advised investors to look at the bigger picture. This means that they should analyze and manage their liabilities, and provide managers with more freedom to generate alpha.