Steph L. Wagner is responsible for leading Northern Trust’s advisory practice for women and oversees its Elevating Women platform. Her personal story is one of reinvention: from private equity vice president to stay-at-home mom, to single mother fearful about her financial security, to successful businesswoman. This journey inspired Steph to devote her life to educating and empowering women to take charge of their financial lives.

Prior to joining Northern Trust, Steph served as Managing Director and Co-founder of Sendero Women & Wealth, a division of a registered investment advisory firm based in central Texas. Prior to that, Steph built a national consulting practice as a financial strategist for high-net-worth women in transition. She was also the founder and CEO of WomenWealthyWise, where she partnered with wealth management firms nationwide to strengthen their women’s initiatives. Prior to starting her businesses, Steph worked in private equity as a Vice President at Gemini Investors, a Boston-based private investment firm focused on providing capital to established, smaller middle-market businesses.

Today, Steph is a nationally recognized thought leader on the intersection of women and wealth. She has developed a specialized expertise in utilizing financial strategies and empowering women with the resources to maximize their financial success. Steph’s expertise has been featured in Entrepreneur magazine, MarketWatch, Fox News, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Barron’s and Bloomberg.

Steph is a graduate of the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. She is currently a governor-appointed trustee of the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System and former Board President and member of Center for Community Solutions, which serves survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.