Jeanne Cotroneo Darrow

Morgan Stanley’s New York Metro Women group, now in its fifth year, works to enhance women’s success at the firm with its 25 council members and over 100 participants.
“Our goal is to lift all women at the firm through coaching, networking, mentoring and recruiting activities,” explains Lisa Santo, its president and a founding member.

Cheryl Palmerini has her sister to thank for her career. Starting out as a communications assistant at McKinsey & Co., Cheryl transitioned after two years to a human resources role at Time Warner Cable. She had been working there for four years when she got an offer from Morgan Stanley. Unsure about making the move, she turned to her trusted sister. “We went for a walk, and she convinced me to take the opportunity,” she says....

Ever since she was five years old, Rachel Wilson knew she’d join the intelligence community. “I wanted to work at the National Security Agency (NSA) ever since I can even remember,” she says. Today, as Head of Cybersecurity for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, a role created two years ago to address the industry’s growing digital presence, Rachel’s focus is on protecting the business—and its clients.

Financial Advisor Amit Grover, a young producing branch manager, finds time to fundraise for causes close to his heart.

Ever since she was a child, Rebecca Bruck has been making meals for her family. She loves to cook—especially fish—and has fond memories growing up in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, sailing with her dad, fishing on her parents’ boat, and eating fresh seafood at neighborhood restaurants. Today, Rebecca puts that passion to play in her mental health counseling practice.

Jim Tracy has a knack for creating leaders from doers. “When you have that lens, you realize quickly that talent has no bias—no age, no gender, no race,” explains the head of Morgan Stanley’s Consulting Group and Advanced Advisor Development.

For over 30 years, Jim has been building teams at the firm, and he has observed that many of the key projects and important initiatives have very strong and talented professional women professional women as key contributors to successful execution, essentially the driving forces behind getting things done right.

At the same office where she started as an intern, Amy Nash sits down to talk about the recent honor of being named a Morgan Stanley MAKER, one in a class of trailblazing women of accomplishment nominated by their peers. Reflecting on the influences that have shaped her career, she realizes that same Huntington, W.V., office is also the very place her first manager leaned in 20 years ago to help her see—and attain—the opportunities ahead.

Two summers ago, Ileana Musa brought together two people she loves who are 100 years apart in age in the place where she was born. That moment, when she introduced her five-year-old daughter to her 105-year-old grandmother in Cuba, was unlike any other. “Here were two women, 100 years apart, getting to know one another,” says Ileana, head of International Banking and Lending at Morgan Stanley and co-head of the International ...

Some days, underneath his Catholic school uniform, Kalena Griffin Costa’s four-year-old son is wearing his favorite superhero outfit. Hidden from sight and doing his best to conform, yet he wants to show his friends his secret powers. Those days are strong reminders to Kalena of the inner often secret hidden power in all of us. “If everyone genuinely believed in their own distinct inner power that is theirs to share....

At mile 20 of her first marathon, Adrianne Yamaki had to start walking because of a knee injury. “I couldn’t run more than a few steps before the pain made me stop. And I had six miles left! Heck – I don’t even walk six miles when running errands if I can drive them.” But Adrianne made a decision she’d made many times before. However hard it was, she wouldn’t give up.

She was only four years old, but Gabriela Teran remembers the day her parents put her on an airplane to flee war-torn Nicaragua. Headed to Guatemala with her three older sisters to stay with friends in safety, the plan was for their parents to join them later. “They put us on that plane not really knowing if they would see us again,” recalls Gaby of that turbulent time. “It was a full-blown war, and my parents needed to get u...

While some can’t pinpoint where their gumption and grit come from, others can trace it exactly. Kathleen Youngerman is quick to credit her father’s influence and her all-girl high school experience. “A lot of my determination and drive stems from my all-female setting during that formative period,” says Kathleen of the private school she attended in St. Louis. “There was never any question as to whether you should raise your ...

Senior Portfolio Manager and Senior Vice President Patricia Selin doesn’t believe in excuses. After all, she’s never counted on anyone to make things happen. “You have to make it happen for yourself,” says the Boca Raton, Fla. based Financial Advisor. “I never blame others or my circumstances if things don’t go my way.”

I crafted Bill Dwyer's executive biography.

Lori Villagas doesn’t rely on a plan “B”. “When I get my mind set on something, I’m going to do it,” she insists. “My stubbornness really comes through.”
Many would agree that this tenacity—along with her intelligence and determination—is a driving force in her success as a Morgan Stanley Wealth Advisor over the last 25 years.