Patricia A. Bell - "Gets It" Award Winner

2009 Humanitrian Award & “Get’s It” Award Winner
Patricia A. Bell – Senior Vice President, Investments, Merrill Lynch
Nominated By: Tiana Webb-Evans

Pat started out as a stockbroker at the Merrill Lynch Short Hills branch over thirty years ago. Today she manages a half billion dollars in assets with her team of three women. Pat is at the highest echelon of financial advisors in the country. She has made the Barron’s list of the top 100 Financial Advisors in the country from 2004 through 2007. Pat was ranked in the top twenty of Barron’s Top 100 Women Financial Advisors list from 2005 through 2009 and in 2008, Barron’s ranked Pat among the top 50 Financial Advisors in New Jersey.

Pat keeps an open door for up and coming financial advisors with a special commitment to supporting women in her business. She has not only supported women in her field, she supports numerous businesses and people in her midst and actively aids in their growth and development. She also has a reputation for her random acts of kindness like surprise parties for all sorts of people, support of a mother whose teen is in trouble and the spur of the moment hosting of a wedding for a long time employee.

Pat is a central most figure in New Jersey’s art scene. She has the largest contemporary art collection in the state. She sits on the boards of the Montclair art Museum (where she started their contemporary art collection with over 30 gifts to the collection to date and has headed the finance and buying committees for a number of years), NJ Center for Visual arts in Summit and the Aljira Center for contemporary Art. She has also played an active role in the Newark Museum and recently sponsored the catalog for their centennial show and continually gifts artworks to their collection.

Her dedication to women is unchallenged. Outside of her art collection, which is weighed towards female artists, she has helped women in serious need by her generous support and past board membership at the Inwood House in NY and the Women’s Fund of NJ. She most recently hosted a fundraiser for New Jersey Citizens action, which was attended by then Governor Corzine.

Pat has twice been honored with the YWCA TWIN (Tribute to Women in Industry) Award and in 2005 received an Advocate for the Arts Award from Aljira. She is a former recipient of the Girl Scouts of America Woman of Distinction Award and honored by the Boy Scouts of America during their Annual Tribute to Women.

Pat is an extraordinary leader, successful businesswoman, a champion for women in business, a generous philanthropist and an example to women of how much an individual’s success can affect society.