Wendy B. Lawrence Joins Academy Securities’ Advisory Board

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Academy Securities, a registered broker-dealer, certified Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE), and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), today announced the addition of Wendy B. Lawrence to its Advisory Board.

Ms. Lawrence is a former NASA astronaut who has logged over 1225 hours in space as a mission specialist and was a veteran of four space flights. A retired United States Navy Captain, Ms. Lawrence was a helicopter pilot with more than 1,500 hours of flight time in six different types of helicopters and made more than 800 shipboard landings. She is the first female graduate of the United States Naval Academy to fly into space after being selected by NASA in March 1992. While an astronaut, she visited the Russian Space Station Mir and was a mission specialist on STS-114, the first Space Shuttle flight after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

“Academy is thrilled to welcome Wendy Lawrence to our team,” stated Chance Mims, CEO of Academy Securities. “Her impressive career with NASA and the U.S. Navy is truly remarkable and will be extremely valuable to the Firm.”

Ms. Lawrence commented on her joining Academy Securities, “I am excited to be joining a firm that is setting the standard for serving their clients while also fulfilling a social mission to hire and train veterans for a meaningful career in financial services.”

Ms. Lawrence received a Bachelor of Science degree in ocean engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1981. She also received a Master of Science degree in ocean engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in 1988. She was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the NASA Space Flight Medal.

“Wendy is a wonderful addition to our advisory board who will give Academy and our clients an exceptionally unique perspective on world events. Our paths crossed at the Naval Academy and at helicopter squadron (HC-6). I’m thrilled to be on the same team with her again.” said Phil McConkey, President of Academy Securities.

About Academy Securities

Academy Securities is a preeminent disabled veteran owned investment bank with strength in capital markets, public finance, fixed income and equity trading. Leadership and staff have had intensive military training prior to entering and gaining in depth financial services experience in global capital markets. We are mission driven with a high ethical code, a solid sense of accountability and strive for excellence in the pursuit of our clients’ success. Intellectual assets, strong visionary leaders and a proud team commitment bring out the best in each other for the benefit of our clients. Academy is our nation’s first and only post-9/11 disabled veteran owned investment bank and is a certified as a DVBE, SDVOSB, and MBE. The firm has a strong top and middle tier client base served by a national platform with offices in New York, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, Chapel Hill, Kansas City, Atlanta, and Sacramento. Information about Academy Securities is available at www.academysecurities.com.