Meet Danny

They say home is where the heart is. Having grown up in a bilingual, bustling household with my first-generation Dominican parents and four younger siblings, that proverb definitely rings true. Being the oldest child, I served as the lead translator for my family growing up. I even helped kids who were learning English for the first time in grade school. That early taste of leadership gave me a strong foundation that would serve me well in my career.

My family eventually moved to Florida, where I stayed through college, receiving my degree in business management from the University of Central Florida. While there, I had an internship opportunity to help educate predominantly Hispanic households on financial literacy. Being a numbers guy, I've always been interested in finance, so getting the opportunity to help fellow Hispanic people develop a strong financial foundation of their own was extremely rewarding.

Shortly after graduating, I started my career at BNY Mellon, where I worked in a variety of roles before being named Vice President, Transition Account Manager for Wealth Solutions. In my day-to-day job, I work with registered investment advisors as well as broker-dealers that clear through our Pershing custodial platform, helping them transition their business to our advisory platform. Ultimately, our clients are entrusting us with their business, to ensure there's no negative impact on their business or clients throughout that transition. I enjoy working through these high-stakes situations because I believe it brings out the best in us.

The great thing about my role is that no two clients are alike, making it exciting to see how my role changes with each relationship. I am always learning, and playing such an important role for my clients brings new challenges. For example, one client I'm working with has recently made the decision to go independent after having spent over a decade with a clearinghouse. They are resigning from their work to become business owners – it's a huge leap of faith. It’s imperative that all of their needs are identified and met as we establish them on our platform.

Outside of my role, I've found plenty of avenues to further my learning and meet new colleagues. One such avenue is IMPACT, our employee business resource group dedicated to the recruitment, retention, professional development and advancement of multicultural employees. I also recently started participating in the Latinx Leadership Forum and the Latino Advisory Team. It's great to see such a high importance placed on diversity and inclusion here. We actively identify and promote talent within the Hispanic population on our team, and it really positions BNY Mellon as a premier choice for Latinx prospects as they're looking for opportunities in our industry.

Outside of work, I am passionate about outdoor activities like swimming and biking. Inside, you can find me in the kitchen cooking any number of delicious dishes. My biggest passion, though, will always be my family. To this day, I remain close with my parents and siblings. I unabashedly brag about my wife and three children; they're the lights of my life. My wife, who is Caucasian, tends to get immersed in our Hispanic heritage seemingly at all times. While we aren't a full-on bilingual household like I experienced growing up, I try to immerse them in our Hispanic culture whenever I can, especially when Hispanic Heritage Month rolls around.

I see this month as an opportunity for Hispanic people to pause and reflect on all that we've accomplished as a community. It's also a time to focus on the work we still have in front of us, like getting more Hispanic professionals into more senior positions across industries. But first and foremost, it’s a time to celebrate our heritage, what makes us unique, and share it with others. For me personally, that means celebrating family, food, dance and music. I love Spanish music. It's what I grew up listening to, so it's always held a special place in my life. When you have so many positive and well-liked things about your culture, it makes sharing that much more enjoyable!