Chelsea Groton Bank Hosted 13th Annual Money Madness Seminar for Over 250 Local High School Students
March 20, 2019
Groton, CT – Over 250 area high school students and teachers convened in the Crozier Williams Student Center at Connecticut College on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 for the 13th Annual Money Madness seminar presented by Chelsea Groton Bank. Nine area schools participated in the day: Academy of the Holy Family, Griswold Alternative School, Ledyard High School, Lyman Memorial High School, Marine Science Magnet High School, Montville High School, Norwich Free Academy, Wheeler High School and Waterford High School.
The half-day seminar opened with a panel discussion that explored various career paths and success stories of local leaders. Panel participants were: Kia Baird, Certified Employment Support Professional; Lisa Carberg, former CT news personality and owner of Lisa Carberg Communications; and Devin Schleidt, entrepreneur and owner of Schleidt Works LLC. Students were invited to ask questions, which prompted the panelists to share inspiring stories of how they came to be in their current careers, how they make time for volunteerism, and how they are socially responsible in their lives and in their lines of business. Panelists closed the session by sharing a few key takeaways and bits of advice with the students, including: do your own reading and research instead of just taking others’ word for it; don’t give up no matter how many obstacles seem to be in your way; and it’s ok to be different.
The day also included several break-out sessions presented by representatives from the Husky Nutrition Program, Byrnes Agency, UCONN Extension/CT Saves, Better Business Bureau CT, United Way, CHET, SERAC, Team Integrity Taekwondo, and representatives from Chelsea Groton Bank. Topics included: costs of gambling, eating healthfully on a budget, self-defense, identity theft, education financing, college success, and the importance of saving.
The session closed with a Family Feud-style game where students teamed up with their classmates to compete against other schools. Questions pertaining to the day’s panel discussion and break-out activities were asked to test what the students learned.
"This year, Chelsea Groton is celebrating 165 years of serving customers and the community. It's so important that we have an opportunity to work with teens each year, both through the annual Money Madness event and by going into their classrooms on a regular basis, as they are the future of our region,” explained Miria Toth, Community Education Officer at Chelsea Groton Bank. "Many of the topics we cover at Money Madness may not be included in their regular school curriculum, but they are critical to be aware of before beginning to make monetary decisions as young adults."
To learn more about Chelsea Groton Bank’s Chelsea University or to schedule a workshop, please visit www.chelseagroton.com/ChelseaUniversity.
About the Panelists
Kia A. Baird
Kia Baird is a Certified Employment Support Professional. She holds roles as both a Recruitment Specialist and as a Job Developer. Kia’s work allows her to fulfill her purpose of connecting people with opportunities. Ms. Baird spends a lot of time volunteering in the community and serves as the President of the New London County Section of the National Council of Negro Women, a founding member of the Eastern Connecticut Urban Professionals, the Co-Chair of the Southeastern CT Re-entry Council, an Executive Committee member for the Southeastern CT Cultural Coalition and the Vice President of OutCT, a 501(c)3 organization that works to build a community through educational and social programming that promotes acceptance and understanding of the LGBTQ community. Kia is also a classically trained soprano whose dream is to connect people with passion and creativity to opportunities that develop exceptional business acumen, drive economic development and strengthen the community as a whole.
Lisa Carberg
Lisa Carberg is a graduate of Old Saybrook High School. She graduated from Suffolk University in Boston with a degree in Communications/Journalism track. Lisa enjoyed a long television news career working in Wilmington, NC, Savannah, GA, on a national level in New York City, and at NBC Connecticut for 17 years. Lisa covered many large events throughout her career, including the Olympics, concerts, and 12+ hour shifts anchoring hurricane coverage. Lisa formed her own company, Lisa Carberg Communications, to help businesses earn favorable publicity, provide talent coaching, and produce professional videos as well as Facebook Live videos. Lisa enjoys sharing what she has learned with her clients. She lives in Mystic with her husband and ten-year-old daughter.
Devin Schleidt
Entrepreneur and business owner, Devin Schleidt of Schleidt Works LLC, works in the Technology, Finance, and Energy Consulting industries. As a consultant to Norwich Public Utilities and Foundry 66, a co-working space, he passionately helps business owners plan for success. He leads companies through strategies on saving money and writes software to make companies more productive. Devin has worked as a financial analyst for both Pratt and Whitney and Edible Arrangements. He also has experience in business development and operational efficiency from his time at Lantern Energy. Devin has a business degree from Fordham University with concentrations in Finance and Economics. Devin is an early member of NESIT, a 501(c)3 non-profit makerspace that offers a collaborative environment for people of all kinds to come together and build things. He is an active member of the board for Saint Vincent de Paul Place in Norwich.
Based in Groton, CT, Chelsea Groton Bank is a full-service mutually owned bank with over $1.1 billion in assets. Chelsea Groton Bank’s products and services include consumer banking, business banking, mortgage and business lending, cash management, financial planning and financial education classes. With 14 branch locations throughout New London County and a Loan Production Office in Hartford County, Chelsea Groton Bank also provides online and mobile banking, 24-hour telephone banking, and nationwide ATM banking for individuals, families and businesses. To learn more, please visit chelseagroton.com. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.
The half-day seminar opened with a panel discussion that explored various career paths and success stories of local leaders. Panel participants were: Kia Baird, Certified Employment Support Professional; Lisa Carberg, former CT news personality and owner of Lisa Carberg Communications; and Devin Schleidt, entrepreneur and owner of Schleidt Works LLC. Students were invited to ask questions, which prompted the panelists to share inspiring stories of how they came to be in their current careers, how they make time for volunteerism, and how they are socially responsible in their lives and in their lines of business. Panelists closed the session by sharing a few key takeaways and bits of advice with the students, including: do your own reading and research instead of just taking others’ word for it; don’t give up no matter how many obstacles seem to be in your way; and it’s ok to be different.
The day also included several break-out sessions presented by representatives from the Husky Nutrition Program, Byrnes Agency, UCONN Extension/CT Saves, Better Business Bureau CT, United Way, CHET, SERAC, Team Integrity Taekwondo, and representatives from Chelsea Groton Bank. Topics included: costs of gambling, eating healthfully on a budget, self-defense, identity theft, education financing, college success, and the importance of saving.
The session closed with a Family Feud-style game where students teamed up with their classmates to compete against other schools. Questions pertaining to the day’s panel discussion and break-out activities were asked to test what the students learned.
"This year, Chelsea Groton is celebrating 165 years of serving customers and the community. It's so important that we have an opportunity to work with teens each year, both through the annual Money Madness event and by going into their classrooms on a regular basis, as they are the future of our region,” explained Miria Toth, Community Education Officer at Chelsea Groton Bank. "Many of the topics we cover at Money Madness may not be included in their regular school curriculum, but they are critical to be aware of before beginning to make monetary decisions as young adults."
To learn more about Chelsea Groton Bank’s Chelsea University or to schedule a workshop, please visit www.chelseagroton.com/ChelseaUniversity.
About the Panelists
Kia A. Baird
Kia Baird is a Certified Employment Support Professional. She holds roles as both a Recruitment Specialist and as a Job Developer. Kia’s work allows her to fulfill her purpose of connecting people with opportunities. Ms. Baird spends a lot of time volunteering in the community and serves as the President of the New London County Section of the National Council of Negro Women, a founding member of the Eastern Connecticut Urban Professionals, the Co-Chair of the Southeastern CT Re-entry Council, an Executive Committee member for the Southeastern CT Cultural Coalition and the Vice President of OutCT, a 501(c)3 organization that works to build a community through educational and social programming that promotes acceptance and understanding of the LGBTQ community. Kia is also a classically trained soprano whose dream is to connect people with passion and creativity to opportunities that develop exceptional business acumen, drive economic development and strengthen the community as a whole.
Lisa Carberg
Lisa Carberg is a graduate of Old Saybrook High School. She graduated from Suffolk University in Boston with a degree in Communications/Journalism track. Lisa enjoyed a long television news career working in Wilmington, NC, Savannah, GA, on a national level in New York City, and at NBC Connecticut for 17 years. Lisa covered many large events throughout her career, including the Olympics, concerts, and 12+ hour shifts anchoring hurricane coverage. Lisa formed her own company, Lisa Carberg Communications, to help businesses earn favorable publicity, provide talent coaching, and produce professional videos as well as Facebook Live videos. Lisa enjoys sharing what she has learned with her clients. She lives in Mystic with her husband and ten-year-old daughter.
Devin Schleidt
Entrepreneur and business owner, Devin Schleidt of Schleidt Works LLC, works in the Technology, Finance, and Energy Consulting industries. As a consultant to Norwich Public Utilities and Foundry 66, a co-working space, he passionately helps business owners plan for success. He leads companies through strategies on saving money and writes software to make companies more productive. Devin has worked as a financial analyst for both Pratt and Whitney and Edible Arrangements. He also has experience in business development and operational efficiency from his time at Lantern Energy. Devin has a business degree from Fordham University with concentrations in Finance and Economics. Devin is an early member of NESIT, a 501(c)3 non-profit makerspace that offers a collaborative environment for people of all kinds to come together and build things. He is an active member of the board for Saint Vincent de Paul Place in Norwich.
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About Chelsea Groton BankBased in Groton, CT, Chelsea Groton Bank is a full-service mutually owned bank with over $1.1 billion in assets. Chelsea Groton Bank’s products and services include consumer banking, business banking, mortgage and business lending, cash management, financial planning and financial education classes. With 14 branch locations throughout New London County and a Loan Production Office in Hartford County, Chelsea Groton Bank also provides online and mobile banking, 24-hour telephone banking, and nationwide ATM banking for individuals, families and businesses. To learn more, please visit chelseagroton.com. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.
Contact:
Barbara Curto, AVP, Marketing Manager
bcurto@chelseagroton.com, (860) 448-4118
