Boston’s Silver Bridge Advisors has launched Investing In Girls (IIG), a joint venture with the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW), to empower girls to pursue careers in financial services.

"Girls should be educated early, endlessly, and effortlessly to prepare them for leadership roles in the financial services industry," said Chelsea Mehra, who founded IIG in partnership with her mentor, Dune Thorne, managing director at Silver Bridge Advisors.

The mission of IIG is to prevent ‘pipeline leak’ – the attrition of young women from the fields of math and finance. IIG’s goal is to develop a comprehensive education program to equip high school girls with group-based education, one-on-one mentoring, and industry exposure that ensures access to education and opportunities to build strong career paths in financial services.

"We all need to encourage more girls to enter the financial services industry. Our partnership with the national Council for Research on Women (NCRW) is an example of how women working together can empower the next generation of women business leaders," said Thorne.

This is Thorne’s second major educational initiative designed for women. Based on her research at Harvard Business School, Thorne launched Silver Bridge Advisors’ "A Woman’s Perspective" program in 2009 covering a broad range of topics including investments, family communications, wealth transfer, risk management, and philanthropy.

IIG’s first beta groups will launch in the fall. They will be comprised of girls’ ages 13 to 17 years old from Boston high schools, reflecting the diversity of the city. There is no charge for the program.