Mary Heltzel '78

Senior Vice President/ Investments
Stifel

My husband has been a constant source of support, encouragement, and guidance throughout my career. Anytime I said I would like to do something, his answer was how can I help. My father was the early support of guiding me and encouraging me to dream and make those dreams come true. He always told me, when you get in the position to lead yourself into what you want, then do it. You are in control of your future.

Current City: York, PA

Hometown: York, PA

How did York College help you get to where you are today?

York College built a foundation for me. I followed up with additional classes after graduation as I transitioned into a financial field. The one thing I learned was learning never ends, it is as changing as the world and you must constantly develop your skills and education to adapt and grow in that changing world. I moved on to getting my Chartered Investment Management Analyst® designation from the Wharton School of Business, Chartered Financial Consultant® designation from the American College, and my Accredited Investment Fiduciary ® , Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor SM , and Chartered Retirement Planning Specialist SM designations.

What was your favorite class/professor at York College and how did it/they impact you?

I cannot say I had a favorite, but Dr. Ames in the English department was a person to admire. I also was fond of the math and business professors.

What do you enjoy the most about your chosen career?

Working with people. I love being around people and helping them achieve their goals and dreams. There is no better job that I could think of than what I do. No day is the same, no problem is the same, and no solution is the same. You must be creative, caring, and most of all knowledgeable.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

In my personal life, a successful marriage and successful children are important. Our daughter, Dr. Lauren Heltzel-Ward is a 2004 graduate of York College. She went on to earn two masters degrees and her doctorate in education. She teaches at Northeastern High School. Our son, Douglas Heltzel, is a 2008 graduate of York College. He is the owner with Dave Heltzel of Artisan Building Services, LLC. As you can see, York College is important to our family.

In my professional life, being named in Forbes magazine in 2020 and 2022 as one of America’s Top Women Wealth Advisors has been quite an honor. In my volunteer life, I have received an award from President George Bush for Service and Civic Participation, Board Recognition Award from Northeastern High School, and Community Hero award from The Future Educators Association at Central High School. I also served as the Governor of the Capital Federation of Cosmopolitan International as well as many local roles raising money for diabetes research.

Forbes’ America’s Top Women Wealth Advisors, April 21, 2022 and February 4, 2022. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC, and were selected from a pool of 32,000 nominations in 2020 and 34,500 in 2022. The America’s Top Women Wealth Advisors ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person, virtual, and telephone due diligence meetings to evaluate each advisor qualitatively, a major component of a ranking algorithm that includes: client impact, industry experience, review of best practices and compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. SHOOK’s research and rankings provide opinions intended to help investors choose the right financial advisor and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receive compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking. For more information, please see www.SHOOKresearch.com. SHOOK is a registered trademark of SHOOK Research, LLC.

View all of the 2022 Spartans of the Year award recipients.