Amy Vogt has served as vice president of communications and marketing for the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association since 2010. During her tenure at ELFA, Vogt’s chief role has been directing the association’s communications, branding and marketing activities. However, from 2016 until 2023, she took on another major role – that of staff liaison to the ELFA Women’s Council.

It all started in 2016, when Lori Frasier, a member of ELFA’s board of directors, joined several other women leaders, including Deborah Reuben and Jennifer Martin, in proposing an initiative to grow the participation of women in the association. Frasier was appointed to lead the board’s women in leasing working group, and, in 2017, was named founding chair of the ELFA Women’s Council, a steering committee focused on providing access, inclusiveness and gender-balanced leadership across all levels of ELFA and the equipment finance industry.

Under the leadership of Frasier and succeeding Women’s Council chairs Deborah Baker, Jennifer Fanz, Michelle Speranza and Catherine Roddick — and aided by an impressive roster of committee volunteers — the Women’s Council implemented major initiatives to increase the engagement and representation of women across the association and the industry.

Those initiatives required considerable ELFA staff support, which is where Vogt came in. As staff liaison, Vogt managed the Women’s Council on behalf of the association, working in partnership with the chairs to facilitate the council’s work, serving as a conduit between the council and the association and lending her marketing and communications expertise to help them succeed.

Highlights from the group’s accomplishments include:

• Launching the ELFA women’s leadership forum, an annual event focused on leadership development for women at all stages of an equipment finance career. Participation in the event tripled from 90 attendees in 2018 to 270 in 2023.
• Establishing ELFA’s first mentoring program. The program, now in its third year, was formed to help women in the equipment finance industry build relationships, learn from others’ experiences, find their voice and develop their leadership skills.
• Developing sessions on gender-balanced leadership at the ELFA annual convention to raise awareness among industry leaders about how to create and drive diverse and inclusive work environments.
• Creating the ELFA Women4Inclusion LinkedIn group, an online network that brings industry professionals together in support of gender-balanced leadership and inclusion.

Vogt is proud of the council’s significant impact on the engagement of women in the association. The representation of women on ELFA’s business council steering committees has increased from 8% in 2016 to 30% in 2023, and the share of women speakers at ELFA’s annual convention has increased from 12% to 33% this year.

“The ELFA Women’s Council is helping to lead the evolution of ELFA into a more accessible, inclusive organization that reflects the diversity of our members and the markets they serve,” Ralph Petta, president and CEO of ELFA, says.

Vogt is excited for the council’s future success with the 2023 addition of ELFA’s first director of diversity, equity and inclusion, Eboni Preston-Laurent, who will oversee strategy development and implementation of the association’s DE&I initiatives.

“The secret to success is showing up and working hard. Another secret is surrounding yourself with people you admire. After meeting so many inspirational leaders from the ELFA women’s council, I’d encourage everyone to get to know this amazing community. Attend the women’s leadership forum, become a mentor or mentee, get involved!”