Women in Finance Academy
Gain the skills to thrive in a dynamic finance career, along with a supportive community that empowers women to lead with confidence.
Empowering the next generation of women leaders in finance
You must take FIN 394: Women in Finance. This course functions as both a class and community designed to help you explore career paths, build essential skills, and connect with mentors and peers. It features:
- Career panels, where you’ll hear from women professionals about diverse finance roles and real-world experiences
- Skill-building seminars to strengthen your technical and professional skills
- Networking events to connect with alumni, employers, and fellow students
FIN 394: Women in Finance
Given the unique challenges women face in the business world, this course provides the tools for women to thrive in careers in finance. The course includes a mentoring program, soft and technical skills development, panel discussions with women leaders, and networking opportunities.
Admission by application process in the prior semester. May be repeated in separate terms. Prerequisite: Instructor approval required. Students accepted into the Academy will be allowed to participate in their Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years.
Join Women in Finance
Develop leadership skills and build your network. Contact Dr. Julia Hart, Director of Women in Finance, for more information.
Meet the Director
Dr. Julia Hart is the Director of the Women in Finance Academy at Gies College of Business and facilitates the Fintech Practicum, helping students bridge classroom learning with real‑world application. She also serves as the Country Director for U.S. Operations at Neptune North, a joint venture between Oliver Wyman and Rokos Capital Management. She brings a rich background in technology leadership and innovation, including more than eight years as the Site Director for the COUNTRY Financial DigitaLab at Research Park. Before that, she spent 12 years at the University of Illinois in several key roles, among them Director of IT for Facilities and Services and Director of IT and Institutional Research for the Graduate College.
She earned both her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois, where her research explored how knowledge‑management technologies are adopted and used within higher‑education workplaces.