Business Women Awards 2019 | INDUSTRY LEADER, FINANCIAL SERVICES
Kathleen Ryan, Washington Trust Wealth Management
KATHLEEN RYAN, chief wealth management officer for Washington Trust Wealth Management, abides by this rule: Whatever she does, she works to make an impact, whether at work or serving her community.
For the latter, she joined the Providence College Alumni Association right after graduation, working her way up to the National Alumni Association board of governors. Ryan was a Women & Infants Hospital corporator and foundation member; president of the Diocese of Providence’s Catholic Charity Fund Appeal; and a board member at the Rhode Island Foundation.
That was just for starters.
“I had gotten to a point where I was serving on 10 boards at the same time,” she said. “I had to take a step back. I had to learn how to be productive and be a good board member. For every meeting, I wanted to make it a meaningful one.”
Making a difference and producing results was at the forefront, she said. No matter how much she’s juggling, she tries to ensure that her work produces an impact in some way.
Ryan graduated from Classical High School, in Providence, and Providence College. And when she was enrolled at Suffolk University Law School in Boston, she still lived in Providence and commuted to classes, she said.
Though she’s rooted herself in Rhode Island, Ryan believes in shaking things up and creating change wherever it can do the most good.
She came to The Washington Trust Co. with a strong foundation gained as chair of the legal trusts and estates group at the law firm Partridge, Snow & Hahn LLP, moving into wealth management about 3½ years ago.
“Wealth management folks deal daily with trusts and estates,” said Deborah DiNardo, an attorney who worked with Ryan at Partridge, Snow & Hahn. “There are numerous legal issues germane to those two entities … Washington Trust gains an advantage, as she still has that legal knowledge.”
This broader perspective helps clients, paving the way for “deeper conversations,” Ryan said.
While at Partridge, Snow & Hahn, Ryan was someone who recognized needs and worked to fill them. She was the only full-time trusts and estates attorney at the firm, growing the practice area to include more than 15 professionals.
She co-founded a group at the firm that would better allow women to advance professionally. WAVE – Women AdVocates for Enterprise – started out with about 12 women. The initiative connected women from across the firm who normally weren’t interacting on a day-to-day basis, giving them a chance to develop relationships with one another, a value that hadn’t previously existed.
“Networking relationships are different with women,” Ryan said. “Partridge, Snow & Hahn was fabulous and embraced the idea. They wanted it, to support and mentor other women. We wanted to make sure that across the firm, we were giving women the opportunity to develop those relationships on their own, and feel comfortable.”
The group offered external events in the community, as well, that were open to any industry. It was a way that women could build business connections. Events such as the WAVE spring luncheon grew to attract 100 or more attendees, Ryan said.
“After a few years, men asked to come. We said, ‘Absolutely.’ It wasn’t meant to have exclusivity,” she said.
Estate-planning attorney Larry Hunt, of Orson and Brusini, worked with Ryan at Partridge, Snow & Hahn. He saw Ryan’s leadership at work in helping to form WAVE, and vouched for her mentoring, as well.
“Kathi’s ability to mentor is one of her unique strengths. I have been a true beneficiary of that,” he said. “She has an ability to give natural guidance and share her experiences. It is very organic.” Additionally, her work with WAVE was important to team building at the firm, he said.
With her innate ability to mentor, Ryan continues to be impactful where it counts – such as with her sons Patrick and Brendan. Both are in their 20s and in the financial-services arena as well.