Ann Miletti described her journey to becoming head of active equity and chief diversity officer at Allspring Global Investments as hard. But as her employer has grown in assets and employees, so has she in confidence, passion and strength.
After racking up more than $200,000 in debt after her son was born with a heart defect, Miletti pivoted from teaching elementary school students to finance, joining Strong Capital Management, where she listened to clients at the call center.
Had she not been financially strapped, she probably wouldn’t have joined the industry, “but I was curious about it, kept raising my hand” and looked for more opportunities, she said. Over time, she developed “a love for it” and took on “bigger challenges,’’ including portfolio management.
Ever since, she’s worked at the same building in Menomonee Falls, Wisc., staying with the asset manager as it was bought by Wells Fargo and spun off into its present-day independent form with $504.9 billion in assets under management.
Outside the firm, Miletti works with financial education and mentorship programs aimed at high school students, notably SecureFutures and Diversity Investment Management Engagement, the latter of which was founded by two colleagues, including Deputy Chief Diversity Officer Sonya Rorie.
While she said she still suffers from imposter syndrome, Miletti has plowed through with a work ethic inspired by those around her — including her father, who would go and work “incredibly hard” even in illness at his blue-collar railroad job.
“Everybody kind of has a plan. You had a bit of a different plan, but there’s curvy roads” Miletti said. “There’s brick walls. There’s cliffs that you go off of — not because you plan for them to happen, but because that’s how life goes. It’s really just how hard do you want it, or how willing are you to work for it? Are you more willing than somebody else? Or are you going to give up?”