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Ben Tanner ’97 catches on quickly. One of his favorite ��ñ�� memories is driving a large cargo-type van — having only driven a Chevy Nova following a recent road test — full of speech and debate teammates to an out-of-state tournament.

He leveraged a post-grad internship into more than two decades of work with some of the country’s most prestigious public relations firms in the financial, tech and corporate sectors. Then he landed at Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon), where he has quickly moved up the ladder to his current role leading corporate communications for its entire global wealth management business.

“My top projects include supporting our external executive visibility pro-gram, which includes press and speaking opportunities for our [top executives],” Tanner says. “I also oversee our Active Wealth communications program, which includes promoting our experts across advice, planning and fiduciary, investing and private banking. I’ve helped oversee our efforts to share investment insights — through press coverage — on how macro-economic, market and policy changes will impact our clients and how they can safeguard and grow their wealth.”

In his career, Tanner is particularly proud of launching and promoting the world’s first interactive, transparent mutual fund. He was instrumental in creating a thought leadership campaign aimed at supporting women in selecting financial advisors to protect their financial well-being.

When Tanner reflects on his ��ñ�� experience, he appreciates the history and journalism courses that developed his love for storytelling and expanded his perspective beyond the Long Island town where he grew up.

“I completed stints reporting for Pipe Dream and competing with the speech and debate team, which empowered me to ask questions, hone my writing skills and think on my feet in front of larger audiences,” says Tanner, who received his bachelor’s degree in history. “All these experiences pushed me outside of my comfort zone and developed skills I didn’t know I had.”

Having come from a family of educators, Tanner enjoys the teaching and learning aspects of his job. In addition to communication campaigns to educate BNY Mellon clients, he’s active in sharing knowledge within the company.

“Although I’m the lone black sheep in my family, working in communications, I’ve still had multiple opportunities to flex my teaching genes,” Tanner says. “I’ve been able to train members of my corporate communications team in teaching the fundamentals of media relations, crisis and issues management, and writing for business. I have taken the most pleasure out of mentoring and teaching others throughout my career.”