The Gifted Education Foundation (Gifted) was founded in 2011 with a mission to produce first generation college graduates and marketplace leaders from low income communities across America.
The genesis of the organization was based on the personal story of founder Anthony Flynn, born to a teenage mother in poverty and having to navigate the challenges that emerged as a consequence including spending his Kindergarten through College years “figuring life and education out" through trial and error.
The aim of Gifted in its origination was to reduce the precipitous learning curve associated with exploring college options and negotiating the admissions, enrollment, retention and career placement processes.
Following the journey of supporting more than 200 students to accumulate more than $20 Million in scholarships and subsidized funding for their college education, the leadership team saw a need to pivot to the career engagement phase of the pipeline. In 2016, Gifted Career Solutions was born and the focus shifted to supporting students who had matriculated into and through college with finding careers, keeping careers and advancing in the marketplace.
As the organization continued to scale, Nikita Flynn (wife of Anthony) joined the team as the Director of Marketing following a 7-year hiatus from her career as a C-Suite Executive in Marketing and Public Relations. Nikita executed on a decision that many career moms vacillate with... to sacrifice career advancement and commit to managing a family full time!
When her children aged to become more independent, she decided to re-start her professional pursuits only to face surprising challenges in resuming a career. Nikita's grit and resilience influenced her to make a MAJOR pivot to the financial services industry through a "Return To Work Program.” The program was designed to recruit potential employees, who like Nikita, experienced a career gap due to tending to pressing family needs.
Nikita went on to have an outstanding career in financial services over the course of 5 years and obtaining her Series 7, 66, 9, 10 and 24 licenses. Additionally, she landed coveted roles with major financial investment institutions with responsibilities including overseeing client service support for ultra high net worth clients with assets ranging from $25 Million to $20 Billion under management.
After more than five years of experience in Financial Services, she reached another pivotal crossroads with career and family and was decided it was in her best interest to walk away from it all yet again. However, this time the intention was to empower other career moms who might be in a similar bind.
In the next phase and life cycle of Gifted, Nikita will lead the organization to provide comprehensive support to mothers throughout their career journeys. She understands that career transitions can be particularly daunting for women, often leading to difficult choices between personal and professional growth. With this in mind, Nikita is set to revolutionize the corporate landscape and inspire other organizations to prioritize the needs of working mothers. Her vision, combined with her leadership skills and understanding of the challenges faced by women, positions her as a catalyst for change and a champion for empowering working mothers.