Message to Members
THE TICKER
MUSEUM NEWS
Summer 2025 MoAF Update
This spring and summer have been filled with exciting MoAF projects, especially the development of the exhibits for our new facility on Commonwealth Pier in the Boston Seaport. Our exhibits team has been working hard to create engaging exhibits that will be accessible to visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Please see page six to read more about our upcoming opening in Boston.
Message to Members
David J. Cowen | President and CEO
Also this spring, our Board elected two new trustees at its annual meeting in May. Wendy Cohn is a managing director in Fitch Ratings’ Structured Finance Business Relationship Management group and is the co-head of North America Structured Finance Business responsible for managing issuer, banker and investor relationships for the Asset-Backed Securities( ABS) and
Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities( RMBS) groups. Robert Robotti is the president and chief investment officer of Robotti & Company, who serves on the Board of Directors of several publicly listed portfolio companies and non-profit organizations. Wendy and Bob are welcome additions to our Board and are already making their mark on our Museum.
Fitch Ratings also began a three-year sponsorship of our Museum Finance Academy( MFA) program this spring. Participation was at a record high for the two sessions of the spring semester, and we awarded 12 scholarships to top achievers in the program. The award winners can be seen on the adjacent page. Fitch also invited the scholarship recipients to their office to receive their awards in person, and it was a memorable afternoon for all involved.
In June, Museum team members Robert Dinkelmann and Steven Rivera accompanied me to Pittsburgh, where we delivered
our“ Origins of the Capital Markets” presentation to a group of Fidelity staff and clients. We also displayed several interesting Pittsburgh-focused artifacts from our collection. The venue was the Heinz History Center— like us, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution— which enabled me to reconnect with my friend, their long-time President / CEO Andy Masich.
While in Pittsburgh, I also met up with American Numismatic Association( ANA) President Tom Uram, who lives there. Tom— along with involved ANA members Carlos Kearns and Patrick McBride— presented me with the ANA Presidential Award for“ dedicated service to the numismatic family.” Our organizations have been friendly for decades, and I was thrilled to receive this award, which reinforces our amicable relationship.
As we head towards the fall, stay tuned for a number of virtual and in-person events, which are already in the works. We hope to see many of you at our programs in the coming months, and in Boston next summer.
Some of the Spring MFA scholarship recipients received their awards inperson at Fitch headquarters. Pictured left to right: Scott Rosenblatt( Fitch); scholarship recipients Zyair Doughtry, Michelle Lou and Sara Montaser; Linda Rapacki( MoAF) and Wendy Cohn( Fitch / MoAF Board).
David Cowen receives the ANA Presidential Award. Pictured left to right: Patrick McBride, Tom Uram, David Cowen and Carlos Kearns.
4 FINANCIAL HISTORY | Summer 2025 | www. MoAF. org