Julian Barnes (left), the vice president of UMSL’s Finance Club, hosted a panel discussion on energy finance with Tim Dombrowski, an assistant professor of finance at UMSL, and Irene Li, the director of energy systems at Foundation Power. (Photos by Derik Holtmann)
As president of the University of Missouri–St. Louis Finance Club, Anisha Inaganti has been leading the planning process for the club’s annual Finance Career Conference for seven months.
The preparation required plenty of behind-the-scenes work: lining up speakers, inviting companies and going through all the necessary details for the event, which was held on Oct. 9 in Anheuser-Busch Hall, home of the Ed G. Smith College of Business. But Inaganti’s prep work didn’t end with planning out of public view. She also had to prepare to lead the first session of the event, a fireside chat with Moneta’s Bill Dickens.
“I was pretty nervous,” Inaganti admitted. “This was my first time doing something like that in front of an audience like we had. But I would say Bill made it super easy for me, so it was really comfortable. He’s so professional and at the same time, very friendly. Until the time I was up there, I was practicing what should I say and everything, but as soon as I sat in the chair and started talking, after my first question it felt like I was just talking to him for a one-on-one interaction.”
The second session of the event was a panel on energy finance, led by Finance Club Vice President Julian Barnes. That type of student experience was something that Tim Dombrowski, the faculty advisor for the club, wanted to implement this year.
“We wanted to get the students more directly involved in hosting and participating in the sessions,” Dombrowski said. “I thought that worked out really well. I threw it out there as a suggestion to the students, and they took it and ran with it. I was glad to see they were confident enough to take on those opportunities and feel comfortable with interviewing someone for a fireside chat like Anisha did, or for Julian to participate in moderating a panel discussion.”
Barnes led the panel on energy finance with Dombrowski and Irene Li, the director of energy systems at Cissell Mueller Construction.
“We had quite a lot of questions,” Li said. “The students are so passionate and enthusiastic about this industry. Every professional person who has a different background can come to this industry. The U.S. has an urgent need and demand for both infrastructure and also power generation, so this is a very critical point for us to continue to grow.”
Haley Rives, the managing director at Asset Consulting Group, was the keynote speaker. While Dombrowski and other UMSL Business faculty members were helpful in bringing in many of the panelists/speakers, Inaganti already had a connection with Rives, who was her mentor as part of the RISE Academy, a two-semester program that helps students develop their leadership skills.
Finance Club President Anisha Inaganti (middle back) hosted a fireside chat with Moneta Group’s Bill Dickens to open the Finance Career Conference.
“She’s so generous. I really wanted her to be here to talk to the students, because I really got inspired from her and learned a lot from her,” Inaganti said. “She’s very ambitious. She talked about how to start your career, how to be hungry for opportunities. She emphasized networking, told us how to grow connections and follow up with the people after we meet. Don’t just meet people and leave it but reach back to them, follow up and say, ‘Hey, it was really nice meeting you.’”
The final session of the event was a four-person panel moderated by David Beverly, an assistant teaching professor of finance at UMSL. He was joined by Mason Brunsmann, a financial advisor at Sirius Wealth Management; Anne Haudrich, a senior advisor at Moneta Group; Josh Packman, a wealth advisor at CommunityAmerica Credit Union; and Mitch Spindler, a financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual-Clayton.
As one of the professionals participating in the conference, Li said it was easy to recognize the value events like this offer to students.
“The conference is a great opportunity for students to better understand the industry and also the potential career pathways, and then they have the opportunity to interact with the industry professionals,” she said. “For me, I think it’s very important as a student to not only take advantage of the academic part of the school but also leverage academics with business and learn how to bridge the gap. This conference is a great pathway for that.”
One of the goals of the College of Business is to prepare students to easily transition into the workforce, and part of that equation is giving the students hands-on opportunities to organize events such as the Finance Career Conference.
“This is where I can actually implement the leadership skills I’ve learned at UMSL, that I’ve learned at the RISE Academy,” Inaganti said. “And Dr. Dombrowski is the greatest help I could have. No matter how much I emphasize that, it’s still not enough. He is like the captain of the ship.”
Inaganti impressed Dombrowski.
“She did fantastic,” he said. “You could tell that she’s a mentee of Haley, because Haley talked about, ‘Don’t say no to anything. Say yes to everyone.’ That’s Anisha. She does make sure that she can actually put serious time and effort into things, while she isn’t over-obligating herself.”
