“I started Luminary as a way to bring women (and our male allies) together to advance each other’s careers, and it has quickly grown into a movement perfectly timed to push us through the current workplace crisis.” – Cate Luzio, Founder and CEO of Luminary
Luminary is a membership-based career and personal growth platform and collaboration hub created to address the systemic challenges impacting women across all industries and sectors.
Former finance executive Cate Luzio founded and self-funded Luminary in late 2018 with the mission to uplift, upskill, and propel women forward through all phases of their professional journeys.
Whether entering or re-entering the workforce, a seasoned executive stuck in the middle, embarking on a career transition or the roller coaster of entrepreneurship, Luminary is your ultimate career advocate providing “real world” advice, tools, and resources to advance, build, connect, and develop. There is no application process to join, furthering the company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, or as Luzio puts it, “walking the talk.”
The company has grown to more than 2,000 individual and 40+ corporate members (representing more than 500,000 employees worldwide) including UBS, WW, JPMorgan Chase, Unilever, Verizon, Goldman Sachs, Indeed, Blackstone, Mastercard, VMLY&R, Bridgewater, and Heidrick & Struggles to name a few. To date, the company has led well over 1,000 in-person and virtual programs, workshops, and events.
Luminary’s members are a multigenerational and intersectional community of individuals, intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs, corporations, and organizations with access to a vast eco-system of expert-led thought leadership programs and services.
Perks and amenities including a digital library with over 300 hours of downloadable content, a virtual platform to connect and convene with other Members, a three-floor work and social space in New York City.
An entree to partner spaces and women-centric communities around the country including Ellevate Network, Take The Lead, Female Founder Collective, The Cru, as well as more than a dozen brick and mortar women’s clubs worldwide.
Founder and CEO, Luminary
Founder and CEO, Luminary
Leader. Advocate. Builder.
Cate Luzio spent two decades in financial services leading global multibillion-dollar businesses. During this time, she also led many of the institutions’ women’s networks and saw the disproportionate number of men to women and women of color in the senior ranks. She recognized the problem was a lack of investment and development of talent in the female pipeline, rather than a lack of talent itself.
This observation sparked a new direction for Luzio’s own trajectory. In a sharp career pivot, she wrote a business plan and set out on a new mission to help women see a path toward advancement by arming them with the tools, resources, and community to propel them to the top -- regardless of their professional journey.
In 2018, she launched and self-funded Luminary, a membership-based career and personal growth platform and collaboration hub created to address the systemic challenges impacting women across all industries and sectors. Luminary is the ultimate career advocate, uplifting and upscaling women through all phases of their professional journey -- in the workforce, entrepreneurship, and in transition - - by providing a vast eco-system of expert-led thought leadership programs, as well as in-person and virtual workshops and events. Members are comprised of a multigenerational and intersectional community of intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs, corporations, and organizations including UBS, WW, JPMorgan Chase, Unilever, Verizon, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard, and Heidrick & Struggles.
Prior to Luminary, Cate was Global Head of Multinational Corporate Banking for HSBC, managing more than 2,000 employees worldwide and prior to that, she served as Head of Multinational Corporate Banking at J.P. Morgan EMEA based in London. She spent her early years in Latin America with Bank of America across both consumer and wholesale banking. She started her career working in tech in China. Cate was named to American Banker's ‘Most Powerful Women in Banking' list multiple years in a row, is a three-time Financial Times Global Diversity Champion, and a two-time Yahoo Finance Diversity Hero. She remains committed to leveraging her extensive corporate experience to support and encourage women and push for gender equality and pay parity in the workplace.
Connect with me!
@CateLuzio
Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel
Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel
Erica Lerner is an experienced founder in the real estate and health and wellness industries, with a demonstrated history working in project finance, tax and corporate law, international tax, due diligence, and corporate structuring, as well as mergers and acquisitions. After nearly a decade of working in legal and corporate environments, most recently in mergers and acquisitions at Deloitte, Erica sought out new projects to foster her curiosity and develop her strengths and achieve independence.
In 2017 she co-founded Xtend Tribeca, a premier fitness studio and the first Manhattan location for Xtend Barre. Since Xtend Tribeca’s opening, Erica has been on a mission to provide a home for thousands of women looking for creative and effective workouts in a secure, safe, judgement-free setting. Erica is excited to continue her mission in her role as the Chief Operating Officer of Luminary and to develop a new home for thousands of professional women throughout New York City and beyond.
Chief Impact Officer
Chief Impact Officer
Surabhi is passionate about developing talent, cultivating good management, and creating cultures where individuals and teams thrive. She is especially interested in understanding the workplace and how it impacts people’s lives. As a skilled career coach and Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach she has a natural ability to see someone's unique talents and motivations in people and knows that a career impacts many facets of one's life. She gets great joy from making the unwritten rules of a job search more explicit to create equity and guiding others on their journey to career success.
She spent the last four years sitting at the intersection of conversations with job seekers and employers in the social impact space, as the Director of Career Services at NYU Wagner. Her career has spanned launching an educational site in India from the ground up, working in grant-making, and building capacity with young talent in New York City. Surabhi holds a M.Ed from The University of Vermont and two undergraduate degrees from Virginia Tech and has presented at conferences nationally. She is an Assistant Adjunct Professor of Public Service at NYU Wagner.
When she’s not savoring her craft as a coach, manager, mentor, and mother, you can find her feeding her creativity, traveling, exploring food markets, cooking, and (of course) eating.
Director of Partnerships and Engagement
Director of Partnerships and Engagement
Melissa joins the Luminary team after most recently serving as Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at Tina Brown Live Media for the past six years. At TBLM, she managed partnerships and on-site sponsor activation for the renowned Women in the World summits and salons presented domestically and internationally.
Prior to that, Melissa spent her 20+ year career in media—ranging from digital, print and custom publishing to graphic design, events, and sports marketing. This included more than 14 years at Time Out North America with her last position as Associate Publisher.
Melissa holds a degree in Journalism & Public Relations from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
Director of Events & Program Strategy
Director of Events & Program Strategy
Christine is the Events Manager at Luminary. She has a background in event planning and digital marketing and a passion for making a difference in the community around her. She loves to execute seamless events that create opportunities for women to develop, network, and connect. Christine enjoys working alongside energized and driven colleagues who are just as passionate about empowering women, which makes Luminary a perfect home for her!
Before joining the Luminary team, Christine planned corporate events for a nonprofit consulting company and a New York City charter school. She was born and raised in New York and received her Bachelors degree in Psychology from University of Maryland. In her spare time, Christine likes to try new foods, experience new cultures, and run along the East River.
Head of Programming and Affiliate Partnerships
Head of Programming and Affiliate Partnerships
Originally from the Bay Area, I moved to NYC almost a decade ago. I've spent the majority of my career working in nonprofits focused on empowering and preparing young people to pursue their own dreams. Along the way, I've been extremely fortunate to have empowering supporters pour into both my professional and personal development. I know I would not be where I am without these champions so I look forward to joining an even more expansive community of dedicated professionals. I believe that finding the best solutions involves elevating as many voices as possible so with my background in program development I hope to create opportunities that do just that.
Head of Community Experience
Head of Community Experience
Head of Customer Insights
Head of Customer Insights
Radha holds an MBA degree from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) and has 4+ years of experience in brand management, business development and strategic planning. After graduating she worked as a Brand Manager with India’s largest retail chain “Future Group” and launched a baby care brand “Puretta”. She independently defined product portfolio, pricing strategy, go-to-market strategy for the brand and launched in 100+ cities. She also served as a Chief of Staff to the CEO and worked on business strategy and sales acceleration projects.
Radha then moved to an ecommerce furniture market place - “Pepperfry”. During her stint there, she successfully led a team of 8 and developed a robust lead management system and CRM for a new business function. She was also responsible for Data analytics and Category management of Kitchen Appliances and Modular Furniture.
Radha is excited to be part of Luminary and its enthusiastic team which is driven towards the mission of creating a gender equal world.
Radha is a trained classical Kathak dancer and spends her free time learning new dance forms and choreographies. She is a board game enthusiast and loves traveling.
Digital and Content Marketing Manager
Digital and Content Marketing Manager
After attending Lasell University, majoring in Fashion Communications, with a focus on promotions and events, Amanda knew that this could be the path to foster her creativity. She has worked in various positions and companies over the past few years. She assisted in a European Showroom and helped work seasonal clothing lines to boutiques around the country and presented at trade shows. She has been a Merchandise Operations Coordinator at Gilt Groupe and assisted in designing their e-commerce digital product lines in the home and kids departments. Amanda has been an Event Coordinator at Rue La La for Women’s Contemporary and Athletic wear and managed the timeline of events being launched. And she has worked as an Associate Buyer for footwear within the Amazon Marketplace. She also started a lifestyle blog after college where she personalized and developed her space in the digital world. She writes about everything from fashion and beauty, to home decor and cooking. Her favorite topic thus far has been organizing closets, as color coordination is very therapeutic for her! This is when she realized her love for writing, sharing her life on social media, and the feedback she received from followers. Through both her professional life and personal experiences, she believes success comes from communication, teamwork, and shared goals. Supporting and connecting with women has been so rewarding that she can see the community of social media growing and expanding with unlimited possibilities!
Executive Assistant
Executive Assistant
Ashley comes to Luminary through Squared Away, an assistance agency with a team of remote Chief Executive Assistants who are all military spouses or veterans. Her husband is currently serving in the Navy and is stationed in Chicago. She is originally from Boston, and graduated from Assumption University with a degree in business management & marketing. Before joining Squared Away & Luminary, she spent most of her professional career in higher education publishing sales and account management. Ashley is also a freelance dance choreographer & coach. She currently coaches the Loyola Academy Ramblerettes and is an advisor for the Assumption University Dance Team. In her spare time, she loves to travel, spend time with her miniature Aussie, Riggins, and explore her new city!
Community and Program Manager
Community and Program Manager
Kelsey is a recent graduate of Seton Hall University where she studied Communication and the Arts. Kelsey decided to study Communications because she believes that it is something that can help us greatly in today's society. As an early graduate, Kelsey is hoping to get into graduate school to continue her education and broaden her horizons.
Community Manager
Community Manager
Hi, I'm Sarah! I am a driven and empathetic Filipino-American woman looking to make a difference in the world. I have a range of experience in property management and dance education and performance, but my main passion is to uplift and aid underrepresented and underprivileged populations. I am looking to find my ikigai -- my calling that combines what I love, what I'm good at, what the world needs, and what I can be paid for.
Community Manager
Community Manager
Lauren McArthur is a Community Associate at Luminary. She is passionate about female empowerment and cultivating diverse and inclusive spaces. She is especially interested in expanding employment opportunities for neurodiverse women. Her strengths include a keen eye for detail, innovative ways of problem-solving, and seeing the best in people.Community Manager
Community Manager
Community Manager
I call myself a “creative committed to public service.” My professional background is in positive youth development, community outreach, and nonprofit management. Currently, I’m the Director of Operations for an all-women strategy consulting firm for urban planning and racial equity projects. In 2020, I launched my side hustle as a freelance Creative Director for influencers and musicians. I will envision and direct the absolute HECK out of a video or photo shoot. I’m also a singer myself. I’m the most extroverted introvert you’ll meet and I’m looking forward to meeting you!
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