LaToya J. Finney, PMP
Director,?Technology of Corporate Financial Systems
Apollo Global Management LLC
New York, N.Y.
Age: 39
LaToya Finney chose golf for the last credit she needed for her bachelor?s degree in computer information systems at Long Island University-C.W. Post campus. Tiger Woods was making headlines at the time.
Golf remains a big part of Finney?s life, even as she fulfills her role as a director in Technology for Corporate Financial Systems at Apollo Global Management LLC. ?The principles of golf are ubiquitous in life,? she remarks. Her private firm, In-18, uses golf as a professional development tool. She is a founding member of Black Jewels Ladies Golf Association for women of color; founder of the youth-oriented, nonprofit Finer Life Golf Foundation; director of events for the New York City chapter of the Executive Women?s Golf Association; and the current technology chair for the Tau Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
Finney obtained a master?s degree in computer science at Polytechnic University and certifications in project management. She almost abandoned technology as an undergrad. ?My classmates were exposed to computers for most of their lives; I was not. ?It seemed like no matter how much I studied I would never catch up to their experience. I was discouraged. It was too hard to see the finish line,? she confesses. Donald Mann, who repaired the computers on campus, and a professor who really wanted her to succeed kept her going. ?[Mann] spoke to me at the right moment,? Finney recalls.
At Barclays, she became a founding member of Women in Technology. ?When I began my career, I was oblivious to the inequity women faced in technology and career advancement.? she admits. ?A network of individuals with aligned interests is a tremendous resource and leads to success.?
Finney supports the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and finds time to dance at church. ?I can?t sing, but I can dance,? she says.
