MAURA CUNNINGHAM, the Nashville-based founder and executive chair of Rock The Street, Wall Street, will be honored Feb. 5 for her continuing contributions to preparation of high school girls and university women for participation in capital markets by their early introduction to financial and investment mathematics and pathways to college, internships, industry events and careers.
The social impact of Cunningham's widely acclaimed RTSWS initiative will be recognized during Smart Business Network Dealmakers Conference, convening Thursday at Nashville's Hillwood Country Club.
A further 10 executives are among the event's honorees: Chris Cochran (FreightWise), Silas Deane (Emerald Funds), Brian Fox (Rockmont Partners), Landon Gibbs (Altitude Ventures), Ryan Grant (Vori Health), Evan Holladay (Holladay Ventures), Peter Marcum (Kernel Equity), Jared Reynolds (Zenagen), Ralph Schulz (former CEO Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce), and Ryan Soskin (Goodship).
The daylong event -- the seventh in the Nashville series -- includes a half-dozen chat or panel discussions with a total 25 executive speakers, as well as seven networking, luncheon and reception sessions.
Click here for the day's schedule and agenda, speakers roster, honorees and the members of the event's Nashville Host Committee. For ticket savings, use this special link for Dealmakers registrations.
In 2012, Cunningham founded and registered RTSWS in Tennessee. Her mission: To increase adoption of effective ways to expand girls' interest in math and science pursuits, in hope of both narrowing the "gender gap" in math-centric performance among many girls and boys and expanding opportunities for adults in finance and related fields.
RTSWS says factors contributing to the gap include "societal biases, lack of female role models in math-related fields and gender-based socialization..." RTSWS further notes that the gap varies across regions and cultures and is exacerbated by micro-aggressions within the context of education in STEM fields."
RTSWS has worked with more than 8,500 young women since its founding, and in addition to numerous U.S. chapters, during 2023-24 the organization created chapters in London and in Toronto.
See RTSWS Programs .. Career Center .. and Impact & Testimonials.
The Tennessee Senate and House of Representatives passed Senate JR 193 recognizing RTSWS's statewide impact and celebrating Cunningham as the 2025 Woman of the Year for championing financial literacy. Also in 2025, Cunningham was named to Forbes 50 Over 50: Impact.
A partial listing of her other accolades is in her Linkedin profile.
In July 2024, Ashley Leftwich succeeded Cunningham as CEO of RTSWS. RTSWS's board chair is Anders Hall MBA, who is vice chancellor for investments and chief investment officer of Vanderbilt University.
Cunningham, 67, is a native of The Bronx borough of New York City. She is a first-generation American born to Irish immigrant parents.
She earned her master's in Civic Leadership at Lipscomb University, her bachelor's in economics at Pace University, and she graduated from all-girls Preston High School, in The Bronx. She resides in Davidson County. Her adult daughter is a trial attorney.
JPMorganChase is the Dealmaker event's presenting sponsor, alongside host sponsor Smart Business Network (a unit of Vistage Worldwide Inc.).
The SBN Nashville event's supporting sponsors include Bass Berry Sims, Consero, Holland & Knight, Husch Blackwell, Hyde Park Capital, BOA's Merrill's Evelo|Singer|Sullivan|Bruegge Group, National Christian Foundation, and Riggs Davie.
Specialty and Patron sponsors of the event include First Horizon, Gridiron Capital, Hub International, Insperity, Oaklyn Consulting, and Truxton Capital Advisors. Frazier & Deeter is a Patron Sponsor.
According to RTSWS's website, the 501(c)3 nonprofit's transformational sponsors are Manulife, and First Citizens Bank.
RTSWS sponsors have also included: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Alliance Bernstein, Amazon, Anchorage Capital, Avante Capital Partners, Bank of America, BlackRock, Broadridge, Canyon Partners, AB CarVal, Citadel, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Corebridge Financial, Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, Five Rings, FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, Franklin Templeton, Goldman Sachs, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, ING Group, Invesco, Janus Henderson Investors, Makena, Morgan Stanley, Next Legacy, Ninety One, Periscope Equity, PIMCO, Roark, RVK, SoFi, STIFEL, TPG, United Way of Metropolitan Nashville, Varadero Capital, VISA, Wellington Management Foundation, and Women's Bond club. VNC
Note: The author of this piece is a member of the volunteer host committee for Dealmakers Conference Nashville.
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.last edited 1630 3 February 2026