The 1997 American Woman Award
Muriel Siebert

Among other firsts, she is the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange and the first to head one of its member firms—Muriel Siebert & Co., Inc. She took a leave from her firm in 1977 to serve five years as the first woman Superintendent of Banking for the State of New York.

She is known as an outspoken speaker who pulls no punches in lectures, panels, and talk shows. And never once has she remarked, "I'm not a feminist, but . . ." She often exhorts industry to utilize women more aggressively: "American business will find that women executives can be a strong competitive weapon against Japan and Germany and other countries that still limit their executive talent pool to the male 50 percent of their population ." What better proof of Muriel Siebert's premise than the story of her own career? The American business world would have been less productive-and far less interesting-if it had succeeded in keeping her out.

The daughter of a dentist, she was raised in Cleveland and attended Western Reserve University. Although she never graduated from college, she has received honorary doctorate degrees from eight colleges and has been a visiting professor or lecturer at numerous schools including Harvard Business School, Dartmouth College and New York University Graduate School of Business Administration.

Her numerous "first woman" achievements have included chairmanship of the General Campaign of the Boy Scouts (1985-86) and a directorship of Manhattan Savings Bank. She still sits on the board of the Greater New York Council of the Boy Scouts of America, formerly serving as Vice President and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board.

She is a trustee of the Citizens Budget Committee and Long Island University, as well as serving on the Business Committee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York State Business Council. She is a member of the Board of the National Council of World Affairs Organization-Long Island Chapter. She is a Founder and Board member of The WISH List (which stands for Women in the Senate and House), a political action group which supports Pro-Choice Republican women candidates for higher office. She serves on the Tokyo Advisory Committee of the Sister City Program of New York City, and a former board member of AARW (Alliance of American & Russian Women). She serves on New York City's M/WBE (Minority & Women-Owned Business Enterprise) Advisory Board and a member of the Board of Trustees for the Guild Hall Museum. She formerly served on the Board of NASP (National Association of Securities Professionals), as well as on the Board of Overseers of New York University's Business School and as a trustee of Manhattan College, chairing the College's Finance Committee. In addition, she was also a former Director of the United Way of NYC.

She is a founding member and currently President of the Women's Forum, an organization of 250 pre-eminent women in the New York area that has expanded into an international leadership network. She is also a member of the Committee of 200, now comprising 325 leading American women business owners.

From 1981 to 1984 she served on the Advisory Committee of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASAC); and while Superintendent of Banks, she was a director of the Urban Development Corporation, the New York Job Development Authority and The State of New York Mortgage Agency.

Ms. Siebert was recently honored to receive an award from the State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA) for being the highest individual contributor through her SEPP program (September 1993). In addition, she received the Greater New York Councils Boy Scouts of America's 1st Annual "Women of Achievement" award (September 1993). Other awards include the Financial Women's Association's "Community Service Award", also for her SEPP program (April 1993). In March 1993 in celebration of Women's History Month, The City of New York's Salute to Women Business Owners included Mayor Dinkins presenting her with the "Lifetime Achievement Award".