Funds from the Alpha Phi Foundation to Promote Leadership Development

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Since 2018, Effie Kilmer has worked with Microsoft in New York City, where she serves as a program manager for Azure Global Engineering. Effie Kilmer graduated from Bentley University with a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems, finance, and global studies and remains a member of Alpha Phi, a sisterhood of scholars and leaders committed to excellence.

Alpha Phi chapters receive support from the organization’s foundation through a number of grants and funds, including the Susan Brink Sherratt Leadership Fund. This fund is designed to promote leadership development among Alpha Phi members. Funds go toward promoting teamwork, improving communication, and enhancing problem-solving skills. Every year, the foundation awards this funding to either one chapter or divides it among several chapters throughout the country.

The Alpha Phi Foundation also distributes funding from the Susan Weiskittle Barrick Endowment for Leadership Enrichment. Funding from this endowment may be used to cover expenses related to programming that connects Alpha Phi members and spurs leadership development. Specifically, chapters may use the funds to cover travel expenses to leadership events, expenses for speakers at events, and alumnae leadership programs, among other related expenses.

To learn more about the Alpha Phi Foundation and its funding available to enhance the leadership development of its members, visit www.alphaphifoundation.org.

The Rise of Social Responsibility in Fin-tech

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New York resident Effie Kilmer, global account technology strategist with Microsoft, is a part of growing number of young IT professionals committed to making financial applications in business work for both consumers and businesses. As an IT strategist working in the greater New York area, Effie Kilmer has, over the course of her career, been a part of the fin-tech evolution.

Fin-tech has taken off in the last several years, making financial applications in business more efficient for end-users. But as society moves into a new cycle of technologies, social responsibility is becoming a larger part of the overall industry platform.

Fin-tech companies have made it a point to understand the needs and issues of the people living in the countries in which they operate. One of the major ways that the fin-tech industry has become more socially responsible is in making new tech tools accessible to people who are normally marginalized simply because of income or location in the world. For example, in the payments sector, international money transfers have become more efficient and accessible, making it easier for those living in developing countries to send money to their relatives. In some cases, these transfers are free.

Other examples of how social responsibility is increasingly becoming a part of the fin-tech platform is in the development of technologies to keep taxes low and to provide customers with low-cost tech tools. A few companies have created opportunities for customers to reduce taxes when using money transfer services in certain countries. Fin-tech has also made the apps needed to make transfers accessible just by reducing their expense without skimping on safety and efficiency.