Meet Angela Dailey | CEO Women Investing in Security and Education WISE

We had the good fortune of connecting with Angela Dailey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angela, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Angela Dailey has been breaking glass ceilings her entire career and contributed to the advancement of inclusion and diversity by both example and actions through her business and community involvement. Early in her career Angela, was a Senior VP, heading up Global Communications at a powerful financial firm. The firm became the center of the biggest scandal to hit the financial world since the 1930s. For her contributions to the firm’s strategic crisis plan, she joined its board of directors, one of the first women to be named to the board of a major financial institution. On that board, she joined some of the most powerful names in finance at that time. In 1991, she founded DAI Partners to provide strategic communications to financial firms, serving as managing partner. DAI Partners, is a boutique communications company providing strategy communications to the most prestigious firms in finance. She has worked with a number of women CEOs to support initiatives in diversity and inclusion. In 2017, DAI launched its Tearing Down the Pink Wall initiative to highlight top women in finance and encourage young women to consider financial careers. The groundbreaking series has held 14 events with C-suite women, inspiring thousands of women of all ages at these events and many more via its press coverage. The series was extended into the Orange County Community in collaboration with WISE. In addition to her “day job”, Angela is the pro bono, Executive Director at Women Investing in Securities and Education, a dynamic Orange County non- profit whose mission is financial education and inspiration for females of all ages. She leads a board of directors who are very engaged in the mission. Without paid staff the organization makes substantial impact in the community. Angela Dailey has been breaking glass ceilings her entire career and contributed to the advancement of inclusion and diversity by both example and actions through her business and community involvement. Angela was named to Board of Directors of Drexel Burnham Lambert, one the most powerful financial firms in the 1980s. She led their global communications during a period of extreme stress. She left in 1990 and founded DAI Partners, a strategic communications firm offering services to C-suite executives at top tier financial firms, including many women CEOs, powerful forces for diversity and inclusion. Serving as managing and founding partner, she has provided the leadership for the firm to grow and prosper over the past 30 years, generating significant revenues for the partners.
DAI Partners is an all women firm, dedicated to advancing women in financial services, where they are woefully underrepresented – less than 15% of portfolio managers are women and less than 5% are in the C-suite. She and her partners launched the groundbreaking series, Tearing Down the Pink Wall to showcase prominent women in finance and educate and inspire women to reach their full potential. Over the four decades of her career, she has mentored many young women and contributed to their career journeys.

What were the nominee’s most significant business accomplishments?
Angela broke the glass ceiling in financial services being named to Board of Directors of Drexel Burnham Lambert, one the most powerful financial firms in the 1980s. She led their global communications during a period of extreme stress. While at the that firm, she led a staff of 40 and managed a $50 million budget. She left in 1990 and founded DAI Partners, a strategic communications firm offering services on the highest level to executives, including many women CEOs. The firm’ client roster includes many top tier financial institutions. Serving as managing and founding partner, she has provided the leadership for the firm to grow and prosper over the past 30 years, generating significant revenues for the partners. Angela has advised a number of very prominent women in finance, all powerful forces for diversity in the workplace and boardrooms.
DAI Partners is an all women firm, dedicated to advancing women in financial services, where they are woefully underrepresented – less than 15% of portfolio managers are women and less than 5% are in the C-suite. She and her partners launched the groundbreaking Tearing Down the Pink Wall series to showcase prominent women in finance and educate and inspire women to reach their full potential. Started as a series for the media, it was brought to the Orange County community and via virtual events to a nationwide audience via WISE, where Angela serves as pro bono executive director. Over the four decades of her career, she has mentored many young women and contributed to their career journeys.
Please describe the nominee’s participation in professional industry associations and/or community organizations outside of profession. *
Most noteworthy about Angela’s community involvement is her leadership of Orange County based, Women Investing in Security and Education,(WISE) a non-profit whose mission is financial education for females of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. She serves as pro bono executive director of the organization, while continuing aggressively as managing partner of her firm. She jokes that she has two full time jobs! Over the past few years, WISE has doubled their members, increased the number of events, reaching several thousand women and young girls. The WISE board has expanded to include some of the most prominent names in finance in Orange County. WISE contributes in many ways to the community via its work with partners such as Girl Scouts and Girls Inc. A highlight is its groundbreaking Tearing Down the Pink Wall series held in collaboration with prominent Southern California universities, including Chapman, UCI and UCLA. All these initiatives have enabled WISE to extend its footprint and encourage diversity and inclusion in financial services. Inspiring young women to achieve their potential is a great joy to Angela. She has also served on the boards of many professional associations and a diverse group of non-profits. Currently, WISE is her only board service in order to devote all her spare time to their mission.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
DAI Partners works with investment companies to educate and market investment strategies. Women Investing in Securities and Education(WISE), where I serve as pro bono CEO, is a mission driven nonprofit which is dedicated to educating women and girls on how to manage their finances.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In Orange County, I would visit Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach. I would take her to Pelican Resort for a dinner with fantastic Ocean visits. In NYC, where we also reside, I would take my friend for the day to the Metropolitan Museum of art, by far the best museum in the US and one of the best in the world. There we would would see over 500o years of art history in one location. Afterwards we would dine in the neighborhood at one of the local upper east side eateries

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
WISE Board of Directors

Website: daipartnerspr.com, wiseinvestors.com