Silda Wall Spitzer
Silda Wall Spitzer | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 30, 1957 Concord, Cabarrus County |
| Occupation(s) | Attorney, business executive |
| Known for | First Lady of New York (2007–2008) |
Silda Alice Wall Spitzer (born December 30, 1957) is an American attorney and business executive who held the position of First Lady of New York from January 2007 until March 2008 during the tenure of her then-husband, Eliot Spitzer, as governor. Her professional experience spans the private, nonprofit, and public arenas, with a strong emphasis on sustainability initiatives, youth education, human rights advocacy, and enhancing women's financial independence.
Presently, she serves as director and principal at NewWorld Capital Group, a private equity firm dedicated to investments in environmental and energy sectors. She also co-founded and leads as CEO the woman-owned digital publication and marketplace New York Makers, which showcases businesses and artisans based in New York State.
Early life
Born as Silda Alice Wall, she was raised in Concord, the administrative center of Cabarrus County. Her father, Robert, worked as a hospital administrator while her mother, Trilby, was a homemaker. Raised in the Southern Baptist faith, she graduated summa cum laude from Meredith College in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and history. She subsequently earned her Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School in 1984.
Personal life
On October 17, 1987, she married Eliot Spitzer, and together they have three daughters: Elyssa, Sarabeth, and Jenna. In December 2013, the couple publicly announced their separation.
Career
Wall launched her legal profession at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, concentrating on mergers and acquisitions along with corporate finance matters. She later became part of The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A.'s international legal team. She co-established Project Cicero, an annual book drive in New York City aimed at supporting school libraries with limited resources. Additionally, she contributed to the New York Blue Ribbon Commission on Youth Leadership and was a board member of the Children's Museum of Manhattan until 1999.
In 1996, she co-founded Children for Children, a nonprofit organization encouraging youth volunteerism; she held the roles of president and chair until 2007. This organization eventually became the youth service branch of Points of Light, now known as generationOn.
During her tenure as spouse to former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, she fulfilled duties as First Lady of New York from 2007 to 2008. Between 2008 and 2011, she served as managing director at Metropolitan Capital Advisors, a hedge fund owned by women.
Currently, Wall holds the positions of director and principal at NewWorld Capital Group—a private equity firm focused on growth equity and infrastructure financing projects related to energy efficiency, clean energy technologies, water management, waste-to-value processes, as well as environmental goods and services. She is also co-founder and CEO of New York Makers, a woman-owned digital magazine and marketplace dedicated to highlighting enterprises throughout New York State.
Her involvement with nonprofit organizations includes serving as vice-chairperson of Urban Green Council, membership on the Ceres president's council, and advisory board participation for the Sustainable Endowments Institute. She formerly sat on the boards of Points of Light and generationOn until 2015. Additionally, Wall is a board member at both Meredith College and the Center for Law, Brain, and Behavior, as well as an honorary trustee for No Bully.
Honors
- Received an honorary doctorate degree from Meredith College in 2012.
Further reading
- Paterson, David "Black, Blind, & In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity." New York, 2020
External links
- Biography of Silda Wall Spitzer – NewWorld Capital Group