Summer Speaker Series

For the final installment of this year’s Speaker Series, A Bridge for Kids welcomed a very familiar face to the stage: our very own Founder, Mike Nance. Instead of focusing on his nonprofit work over the past decade, Mike offered students a rare behind-the-scenes look into his high-stakes career in the financial industry. For more than 15 years, Mike managed over $25 billion in assets at Putnam Investments and held senior leadership roles at Barclays Capital and American Express, building an impressive track record on Wall Street.

The central motif of the night was betting on yourself. Again and again, Mike returned to this powerful idea as the cornerstone of his success. He explained that in finance, especially at the elite level, performance is measured in numbers. There is no hiding behind titles or office politics. Just outcomes. "If you’re doing well, your numbers will show it," he told students. "If you’re not, they’ll show that too."

For Mike, that level of accountability wasn’t intimidating. It was thrilling. "It felt like a game," he said with a smile. "And I was good at it." The clarity of success, the cause and effect thinking, and the intensity of the work were all things he thrived on. Though he regularly worked 12 hour days, he emphasized that it never felt like a burden because he loved what he did.

But his path to Wall Street was not straightforward. Mike began his college career as an engineering major at Drexel University, not because he loved engineering, but because it seemed like the sensible thing to do. "My dad said you’re good at math, you should try engineering, so I did," he recalled. It wasn’t until a chance encounter in a friend’s dorm room, where he picked up a finance textbook and read it cover to cover, that he discovered what truly lit him up.

Making the decision to switch majors was terrifying. Mike knew switching majors might look like giving up. His parents had encouraged engineering, and it felt like letting them down to walk away from it. But deep down, he knew finance was the right fit. He had the hard conversation, made the leap, and it became one of the best decisions of his life. Today, he tells students that sometimes the toughest talks, especially with the people who believe in you most, can be the ones that change your future for the better.

Mike went on to earn his MBA from the University of Chicago and built a career in finance that most only dream of. Today, he brings that same drive and strategic thinking to A Bridge for Kids, where he now works to help students from underserved backgrounds bet on themselves too.

The students in the room left with more than just career advice. They left with a new mindset, inspired to work hard and even when the road ahead gets rocky. One that challenges fear, embraces passion, and places value on investing in your own potential.

As Mike proved, many times the biggest risk isn’t betting on yourself, it’s playing it safe and never finding out what you’re truly capable of.