Melanie Mortimer is President of SIFMA Foundation, the nation's leader in youth financial education, ensuring access for millions of youth to the essential knowledge and skills to navigate their financial lives. With 23 million individuals served to date, SIFMA Foundation cultivates tomorrow’s workforce and prudent investors through innovative programs that excite youth about the dynamism and opportunity inherent in the capital markets, while improving their STEM performance, life skills, and career readiness. SIFMA Foundation enlists funding and support of individuals, industry, and philanthropy, and the partnership of education leaders, school districts, and community organizations as well as every member of US Congress to achieve its mission. Prior to SIFMA Foundation, Mortimer was Director of Global Philanthropy at Merrill Lynch, managing signature programs on financial literacy, global citizenship, and entrepreneurship for millions of youth across 70 countries, overseeing arts/culture grants, scholarship programs, skills-based volunteer initiatives, and global community events. Prior to that, Mortimer led employee, shareholder and executive communications for the international business arm of Itochu Corporation in Japan and served as Tokyo Journal magazine's Senior Editor. Mortimer obtained her MBA and MA in International Management from Aoyama Gakuin University as a Monbukagakusho Scholar and her BA from Agnes Scott, and is a graduate of the Securities Industry Institute at Wharton.