Women in Leadership

by Natalie McKenna

We sat down with three University of Jamestown alumni to learn about their experiences as women who hold leadership roles in the field of finance and accounting. Each put in years of work to rise to some of the top ranks within their companies. Here, they reflect on their career paths, Title IX, and share valuable advice they learned along the way.

Annie Ness Nagengast ’02

Executive Vice President, Head of Business Management Office for Commercial Banking | Wells Fargo

As an EVP at Wells Fargo, Annie, who majored in Business Administration and Accounting, manages a team of roughly 1,500 employees around the globe. Navigating her day-to-day requires taking on many different roles, from risk management and business support to marketing. Nearly every decision that comes across her desk needs executive-level problem solving.

Q: How has UJ prepared you for your career?

A: “I am a firm believer that half your education comes from extracurriculars and the learning you do beyond your major. While I certainly learned important fundamentals from my finance studies, what I depend on now from my experience at Jamestown are the learnings I gained from my communication classes and insights I gained from athletics which taught me how to think, solve problems, overcome adversity, and work as a team to achieve goals.

Q: What does Title IX mean to you?

A: “It opened the door for equal access and opportunity. I’m 43. It’s hard to imagine what it felt like before equal access. While there’s been progress, there’s still regular reminders that even after 50 years, equal opportunity doesn’t mean equity. We have a lot of work to do still to make things more equitable.”

Q: Do you have any advice to share with women looking to get into leadership?

A: “First is to trust your gut and use your voice. Second, I’ve talked to many women around their trepidation of going on maternity leave or starting a family. I had those fears too at one point but what I learned in those first few years of having kids is there is nothing I can’t do. I had three kids in 24 months. Learning how to manage life with kids helped me better manage work. Not only did starting a family not hinder my career, it helped it.”