By Andrew D’Amore, Virtu Financial
STA Chairman of the Board

Every year, more than 250 individuals volunteer their time in service to our industry and their communities by serving on one of STA’s 24 affiliate boards in the U.S. and Canada. These individuals are often asked why they invest time and effort in these groups. As a long-time member of the Security Traders Association of Chicago (STAC) and STA, I have been asked this question countless times myself and, reflecting on my time in this business since the mid-90’s, the answer is clear. STA, its affiliates and all of the individuals involved are a very good team, a team that has fostered a “Winning Tradition” that incorporates the fundamental qualities that legendary basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski references in his inspiring quote:

“There are five fundamental qualities that make every team great: communication, trust, collective responsibility, caring and pride. I like to think of each as a separate finger on the fist. Any one individually is important. But all of them together are unbeatable.”– Mike Krzyzewski, Head Coach, Duke University

STA affiliates and members have different backgrounds and opinions on various topics within our industry. We have established many programs over the years to help advocate for our members and display how much we care for one another. The STA Job Re-entry (STAR) and Students in Finance initiatives are two examples. Our team educates our members on meaningful market structure issues while doing our best to represent these interests with legislators, regulators and other industry groups. We operate multiple committees and working groups every year: Market Structure Analyst Committee, Listed Options, Retail Advisory, ETF Working Group, Women in Finance and the Affiliate Liaison Committee.

A trusted resource in and around the financial services industry, STA routinely communicates via STA News, which has more than 30,000 subscribers, along with Taking Stock articles, STA Trading Views podcasts, and Open Calls on relevant industry topics. Our team takes pride in delivering first-class events even during these most challenging times. We pivoted from traditional in-person events to virtual platforms, successfully completing our first-ever virtual STA Market Structure Conference. The feedback was very positive, but we always search for ways to improve. It is our sincere hope that we will be able to meet in person at the 2021 STA National Conference later this year.

STA has also done an amazing job managing our collective responsibility to help others through our #GrassrootsGiving initiative. We will continue to expand on this, and all of the above-mentioned efforts in 2021. We have learned over time that relationships truly matter in our business and we all have a rejuvenated sense of appreciation for our time together. We hope these collective efforts help contribute to both career and personal development for all of our members.

I challenge everyone reading this to step up your efforts with your local affiliate in combination with STA National to help build our own version of the “Winning Tradition.” Let’s diligently communicate our events and goals with one another to create stronger bonds within our respective teams. Realizing that everything around us isn’t always within our control, let’s focus our attention on helping others achieve greatness with the tools we have at our disposal. 

Throughout sports history, we have witnessed some amazing teams elevate to the highest level of success. The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, 1989 San Francisco 49ers, and the 2019 USA Women’s World Cup soccer team all had their version of how they achieved greatness. I challenge everyone reading this to step up your efforts with your local affiliate in combination with STA National to help build our own version of the “Winning Tradition.” Let’s diligently communicate our events and goals with one another to create stronger bonds within our respective teams. Realizing that everything around us isn’t always within our control, let’s focus our attention on helping others achieve greatness with the tools we have at our disposal. 

If you aren’t currently a member of STA, consider becoming one. If you don’t have a local STA affiliate near you, we can find you a home. I am honored to be a part of this team, and I am confident we will win this year, so let’s continue to build the #STAWinningTradition!

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