Trustee Rachel Tressy: Investing in Deeper Roots
Rachel Tressy, CPA, CIA, CRMA, believes in many types of investing, both in her role as chief auditor at Voya Financial and through her service as treasurer of Wheeler’s Board of Trustees.
“I see Wheeler’s future as deepening the roots we’ve had for a very long time in Bristol, Hartford, New Britain, Plainville, and Waterbury by touching more people in the community, reaching out to even more of the underserved, and getting deeper into the issues that affect us all. In business, investing is making sure your bottom line is growing for the future,” says Rachel. “Here at Wheeler, it’s making sure that we can best serve the people and mission we are committed to.”
Tressy joined the board nearly three years ago at the invitation of fellow Trustee Mary Rodier, a colleague at Voya.
“At the time, I was looking for a way to contribute to my community. I’d heard of Wheeler, but my understanding was that it was focused on behavioral health and services for teenagers,” Rachel continues. “The first time I met Susan Walkama [Wheeler’s former president and CEO], she shared with me how much the organization has grown. I was amazed and knew I wanted to be a part of that.”
Tressy’s passion for Wheeler’s mission and focus on equity also connects back to her job, where she is a co-sponsor of one of Voya’s eight employee resource groups, open to all 6,000 employees. These groups provide culturally supportive environments for employees to learn, grow, advance, network, and succeed within their identities and as allies (African-American, Asian-American, Disabilities and Special Needs, Latinx, LGBTQ & Allies, NextGen, Virtual, and Women) and help Voya foster a more inclusive culture for all of its employees.
“Both Wheeler and Voya want to meet people where they are,” Tressy says. “We’ve seen the dramatic effect of COVID on the people we serve at Wheeler. We need to create more opportunities for everyone.”
Tressy sees a direct connection between her finance expertise and Wheeler’s mission, vision, and success.
“I’ve spent most of my career trying to balance risk and reward; this is the same conversation we’re having at Wheeler,” she says. “Our finance committee makes sure we are having that risk/reward conversation, concentrating on growth and investing, making sure we have guardrails so we aren’t growing too fast, or that we’re putting our future at risk. I love the dynamic of the committee. With everyone virtual, it’s a tough time to feel connected, but Sabrina [Trocchi, president and CEO] and Jim [Moylan, board chair] have done that so well for us.”
