During Women's History Month in March, the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce salutes women from diverse communities who take risks to pursue their passions and to whom setbacks are just steps to success. In this regard, the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce honor the spirit and determination of Lauren Simmons and Lili Gil Valletta at their 44 Wall Street office in the continuing theme of advancing social protection systems, access to public services, and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

Lauren Simmons made history by being a stock trader for Rosenblatt Securities, and is the youngest and only full-time female trader at the New York Stock Exchange. Lauren Simmons is the second African American woman in the Exchange’s history to have such a position. Lauren Simmons has signed a deal with production company AGC Studios, to turn the inspiring story of her journey to becoming the youngest full-time female African American trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange into a film.

Originally from Bogota Colombia, Lili Gil Valletta made history by being the youngest female executive at Johnson & Johnson as the company's global marketing services director. Valletta is also the co-founder of XL Alliance, a data-analytics, cross-channel and cross-cultural marketing and strategy agency, that was rebranded to CIEN+ in 2016. As co-founder of the chapter of the Hispanic Organization for Leadership and Achievement (HOLA), and as head of “Proyecto MAS2”, an initiative to bring increased visibility to the Hispanic segment of the company's customer base, Valletta also works with Ivanka Trump at the White House to empower minority women.

In bestowing the honors, President Duvi Honig spoke on women’s empowerment, and the link to sustainable development as an important avenue towards women’s economic empowerment and highlighted the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce as a great opportunity for women to network and strengthen economic solvency.

“Entrepreneurship is a powerful factor that boosts women’s self-confidence, brings women together in networks in their communities, in regions and across countries, and hence make their voices heard more strongly, and at all levels of political and economic life,” Honig said.

Chairman Morty Davis emphasized the need for the development of entrepreneurship as a tool for women to gain independence and when asked as to how Wall Street can draw women talents, his response was: “The harder you work the happier you get. Always think optimistically and positively.”

The Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce continues to play a vital role in the economic growth and empowerment of diverse women in the business community, and empowering women through advocacy, outreach, education and support, as well as business training, access to capital, and marketing opportunities. The Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce also serves as a global umbrella in providing networking and relationship building opportunities for entrepreneurs and professionals at all levels of the business, governmental and diplomatic worlds.