Spence alumna and National Director of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses Program Anne Wellde Smits '05 returned to Spence to share with Upper School students her professional experience and how her passion for helping others continues to impact her career.

 

Illustrating for students how her own unique path led to her current position at Goldman Sachs, Smits shared that her unconventional journey lent itself to self-discovery. While at Spence, Smits was a Red Door tour guide, a member of the yearbook staff, and an athlete on the badminton and swim teams. After graduating and earning her degree from Georgetown University, Smits spent several years working for the government and fundraising for Mt. Sinai, both experiences that helped her understand her strengths. “I liked being in an impact-oriented role, and I liked feeling like I was a part of a team that was making a difference in the lives of others.”

 

But Smits wished to feel less removed from the people she was helping, and when an opportunity to work with a healthcare technology start-up presented itself, Smits gained experience in learning the nuances of building a small business. This experience would help propel her in her eventual Goldman Sachs role, where she works closely with small business owners, helping them navigate entrepreneurial complexities to ensure their success. 

 

When asked about pivoting to different fields before finding her role at Goldman Sachs, Smits told students that “in the moment it felt like big leaps in different directions, but in hindsight I can see common threads: I knew I was good at creating structure and order, and I’m very organized and methodical. Now, I work with small business owners of all backgrounds helping share these skills.”

 

One student asked about the experience of growing her role from a team member to a director. How deliberate was it? “I was really intentional about it,” Smits shared. “I had a conversation with my boss and made clear what I wanted my path to be, and I laid out my vision for my own growth. It gave her a chance to consider that maybe I was ready for an opportunity. While it was daunting, it was an important conversation that unlocked my ability to be where I am today.”