Rhian Horgan to speak at convocation
The College of William and Mary’s Class of 2012 and its entering graduate and transfer students will be welcomed to campus by JP Morgan executive Rhian Horgan ('99) at the annual Opening Convocation ceremony on Aug. 29.
Opening Convocation marks the beginning of the academic year. The event will be held at 4:30 p.m. in the courtyard of the Sir Christopher Wren Building.
The start of the 2008-2009 academic year marks the 90th anniversary of the admission of women to the College. In the fall of 1918, William and Mary welcomed its first women as regular students, becoming Virginia’s first four-year, all-male college to do so.
“We're very pleased that one of our distinguished alumnae, Rhian Horgan, will help us begin the 2008-09 session--the 90th anniversary of the admission of women to William & Mary,” said Interim President W. Taylor Reveley III. “Ms. Horgan, who was an outstanding member of the College community while on campus in the Class of 1999, has already distinguished herself in the world of business. We look forward to her remarks at our opening convocation.”
Currently a vice president at the JP Morgan Private Bank in New York City, Horgan graduated from the College of William in 1999 with a BBA, majoring in finance and public policy. After graduation she joined the JPMorgan Private Bank in New York as an analyst in the credit division, providing clients in Latin America and the Unites States with liquidity solutions. In 2005, she assumed responsibility for the equity derivatives business for private client services. In her current position, she is a member of the JPMorgan Private Bank's Alternative Investments team, with whom she advises high net-worth individuals, endowments and foundations on private equity, hedge fund, real estate and infrastructure investments. She has been an active member of JP Morgan’s William and Mary recruiting team since starting at the firm.
While a student at William and Mary, Horgan served as student body president, a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and an admissions tour guide. Since graduation, she has remained closely connected to her alma mater. She has served as a member of the NYC Alumni Board, the NYC Auction Committee, the Class of '99 Fifth Year Reunion Committee and the Swem Library Board. Horgan also founded the W&M Wall Street Program (WSP), which has brought over 200 William and Mary students to New York City to educate them about careers on Wall Street. Last summer, Horgan worked with the College’s career services office and the Mason School of Business School to expand the program to include a summer mentorship program for William and Mary students interning on Wall Street. Two of Horgan's sisters (Fiona '03 and Carys '07) are also graduates of the College.
Ginger Ambler, the College’s interim vice president for student affairs, knew Horgan as a student and considers her a friend.
“I’m excited for the students to meet her and to see and be inspired, both by her experience as a student and by her success as an alumna,” said Ambler.
Ambler said that since this year is the 90th anniversary of women at the College, it is especially fitting to have as a speaker “one of our women graduates who was so distinguished as a student leader and so engaged in her William and Mary experience and now, has translated that into a rich and rewarding professional life,” said Ambler. “I think she sets a wonderful example for all students – women and men – about the transforming power of a William and Mary education.”
