Conferences
Panel discusses ins and outs of the Finance profession
Photos by Lee Ferris
The School of Business recently presented a panel discussion about the Finance field for students and current professionals.
The panel featured leaders from New York City and the Hudson Valley, including Elyse Ausenbaugh, Global Investment Strategist at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, whose expertise is regularly featured on news outlets like CNBC; Philip J. DeAngelo, Managing Director of Focused Wealth Management and Vice Chair of the Mount Saint Mary College Board of Trustees; and Ryan Hayes, a Mount alumnus (2018) and Associate of Fundraising at Apollo Global Management.
Michael L. Fox, acting Dean of the School of Business, chairperson, and associate professor of Business Law at the college, welcomed a packed audience. Earlier in the day, Ausenbaugh shared her expertise with several of Fox’s classes.
Edward Sotelo, a Business student, moderated the panel.
The panelists agreed that success in the finance industry often requires employees to step out of their comfort zones. For example, in a move that would help to define her career, Ausenbaugh chose to focus on her company’s mass affluent client wealth management channel. Mass affluent clients are those who save more than they invest for their future, and their needs are different from very wealthy clients. The change proved beneficial to her career, Ausenbaugh noted, and she enjoys educating and empowering these clients.
For current students, the panelists said that internships are crucial for gaining experience and understanding different areas within finance, from careers in asset management to trading to client-facing roles.
In the same vein, DeAngelo noted that learning doesn’t stop once one earns their degree. He stressed the importance of continuous learning and humility in the ever-changing finance industry.
The panelists also emphasized the importance of learning from mistakes, asking questions, and networking as essential tools for career advancement.
CARD talk delves into adolescent mental health and social media
Photos by Lee Ferris
The Mount’s Center for Adolescent Research and Development (CARD) recently presented “Contemporary Adolescence and Mental Health: Routes Reaching Today into Tomorrow,” featuring keynote speaker James Daley and a panel of local educators and health experts.
Daley, a writer, editor, and educator with a background in book publishing and online content creation, discussed ADHD, autism, and how these topics are approached on social media. In his examination of ADHD-related content on TikTok, he noted that the quality of the information on the platform varied wildly.
But that doesn’t mean that social media like TikTok can’t be a useful tool for teens with ADHD or autism. With social media so ingrained in modern life, the focus should be on how to engage with it constructively, Daley said.
When navigated carefully, he noted, benefits for adolescents with ADHD or autism can include:
Connection and validation: Fostering community for isolated individuals.
Open discussion: Creating avenues to discuss mental health topics.
Education: Offering access to information, coping strategies, and therapeutic options from peers and professionals.
Creative self-expression: Providing an outlet for expressing emotions in a healthy manner.
Empowerment and identity: Helping individuals find words for their experiences and embrace terms like “neurodivergent.”
After Daley’s talk, the audience heard from a panel of local mental health experts and educators, including Allyson Antonacci of Dutchess County Outpatient Mental Health; Andrew O’Grady, LCSW-R, CEO of Mental Health America of Dutchess County; Sean Gerow, MS, Associate Executive Director of Orange County Mental Health Association; Stevenson Monchery, a youth outreach specialist; and Rachel Wilson, Executive Director, Orange County Youth Bureau, among others.
The Mount’s CARD is a clearinghouse for research initiatives. These include the psychological, social, cultural, educational, and health-related issues endemic to contemporary adolescents and young adults. It’s overseen by longtime Psychology Professor Paul Schwartz.
Mount hosts 31st annual conference for literacy on campus
Photos by Matt Frey
The 31st Annual Conference on Literacy at the Mount, “Exploring Literacy and the Arts in Pursuit of a Socially Just World,” brought together dozens of educators from Newburgh and beyond.
The event, presented by the college’s Collaborative for Equity in Literacy Learning (CELL), featured keynote speaker Bryan Collier.
Collier is an illustrator and author known for his thought-provoking style combining watercolor and detailed collage. He’s a four-time Caldecott Honor recipient for his books Trombone Shorty, Dave the Potter, Martin’s Big Words, and Rosa.
During his early days as a children’s book author, Collier said he got used to rejection. He pitched his ideas to publishers in New York City week after week, only to be turned down each time.
“But I had a story to tell,” said Collier. “My story is, I went once a week, every week, for seven years. Every publisher several times…finally, somebody said yes.”
Since then, Collier has published 52 books.
“When I talk to kids, I say ‘don’t give up when you hear no.’ There’s a story that’s got to get out. You can’t hold it. Don’t keep it to yourself,” he said. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take. It might take you seven days. In my story, it took me seven years, but that’s not your story.”
Conference attendees also enjoyed a variety of workshops on current educational topics.
Established in 2012, CELL provides tutoring and out-of-school literacy activities for children pre-school to grade 12 with a focus on reading, conversation, and activities. It explores multicultural books, offers family literacy programs, and more. Each semester dozens of Mount teacher candidates, graduate and undergraduate, help instill a love of reading in local youth as part of their community fieldwork requirement.
OC Cybersecurity Summit at the Mount works to stop cyberattacks
Photos by Lee Ferris
Nearly 500 attendees strengthened their efforts to protect our community from cyberattacks at the Hudson Valley Regional Cybersecurity Summit, held at the Mount.
Hosted by Orange County government and sponsored by the Mount, the event featured keynote speaker Mishaal Khan, an ethical hacker. Khan is hired by companies to test their cybersecurity defenses and identify any vulnerabilities or security issues.
As bad actors invent increasingly clever ways to access systems and steal information, cybersecurity professionals must also think outside the box, Khan said. In the current tech climate, there’s a lot of techniques cybercriminals use beyond simple email scams. Additionally, even if a bad actor doesn’t get much for their efforts, it doesn’t mean the defending company has “won,” Khan notes: Users still need to be informed of their personal information possibly falling into the wrong hands, which damages a company’s reputation.
So how can businesses protect themselves? Khan advises training employees to identify cyberattacks, keeping training updated with new tech like AI and voice cloning, and regularly testing systems and people through simulated scenarios. He views cybersecurity as a holistic team effort.
“As a hacker, I always say, if you haven’t tested it, it doesn’t work,” he said. “Test your systems, test your people. Have simulated phishing scenarios. Have simulated hacking scenarios…look at cybersecurity as a holistic, team effort. There’s no one defender, there’s a team of defenders, from technical to managerial positions.”
Before Khan's presentation, the Hudson Valley Regional Cyber Scholarship was introduced by the Mount and Orange County Government. This scholarship, funded by the summit's proceeds, will go to a Mount undergraduate Cybersecurity major, with preference for Hudson Valley students. If you’re interested in supporting this scholarship, please contact Nikki Khurana-Baugh at 845-569-3216 or at Nikki.Khurana-Baugh@msmc.edu
Attendees also enjoyed three panels featuring local professionals and other leaders of the cybersecurity field. Topics included “Preventing a Cyber Crisis: A NYS Collaboration Success Story,” “Modernizing AI and Cybersecurity Tools,” and “Cyber Tabletop Exercises: Battle Ready for Tomorrow’s Threats.”
