Aleta Heard

Vice President,
Asset and Servicing, BNY

Aleta’s exceptional leadership skills and technical prowess have earned her numerous accolades. Her most recent achievements include being named Slippery Rock University’s alumni “10 under 10” honoree, as well as Pittsburgh’s 2022 “Young Professional Athena” winner. She has also been recognized as the 2022 PA Banker Tomorrow’s Promise Awardee, “30 under 30” by Pittsburgh Business Times in 2020, and a “Woman of Excellence” by the Pittsburgh Courier in 2018.

Aleta received a Business Management certificate and an Associate of Science degree in Business from the Community College of Allegheny County, a Bachelor of Science degree in Healthcare Administration and Management with an Information Systems minor, graduating Summa Cum Laude from Slippery Rock University, and a master’s degree in Information Systems from Duquesne University.

Thanks to her education, Aleta was able to pursue a technical career starting in 2016. Initially, she worked in Human Resources, hiring personnel for technical positions. Before long, she pivoted to a more tech-focused career path, configuring and linking networks and switches. Aleta subsequently moved into a more global role as a technical support engineer. Here, she established new processes for an online ticketing system, wrote knowledge articles for users and clients, and onboarded new employees to continue the advancement of the system.

She then accelerated her career by moving into a Field Technician role, repairing computer software and hardware issues.

Not long after being promoted into a Software Developer and Senior Systems Analyst role, she became a certified agile Product Owner and developed skills creating microservices, APIs, and working in iterative development and design. She migrated her skills from a national fintech company to a global investments bank as a VP, working in Asset Services and Digital as a Regulatory Business Solutions Product Owner over the United States and Canadian Custody territory.

Aleta currently holds the position of Agile Product Owner for three Custody applications. Serving as a Product Owner for Nexen Instruction Capture, a financial services platform automating trade instructions, allows her to merge finance with cutting-edge technology. Her goal is to transform how assets are managed, traded, and serviced in the digital sphere. In addition to her professional roles, Aleta has recently been appointed as the new co-chair for the IMPACT Pittsburgh chapter. Not only is she a remarkable employee at BNYM, but she has also founded and leads Masters of Maternity. This unique platform has been developed to help mothers manage their maternal care and enable maternal specialists to manage the care of their clients from start to finish. Her aim is to change the course of maternal care and reduce the rates of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, particularly among Black women who are two to three times more likely to die from preventable causes during childbirth.

Aleta is also a founder of the Pennsylvania Doula Commission, where she currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors. Her mission is centered around promoting, protecting, and legitimizing the doula profession. Aleta’s latest impressive achievement includes the publication of a curriculum and the launch of a doula training program in partnership with community colleges across Pennsylvania. This program accelerates the doula profession by providing easier access to quality doula support, diversifying the workforce to create cultural congruence that mitigates discrepancies, and promoting the sustainability of doula careers so that doulas can thrive.

Aleta’s journey truly combines a passion for technology and women’s empowerment. While she has always been a champion for women, her love for the maternal space truly flourished when she spent time in community technology innovation. Beyond her work, Aleta is an avid traveler who enjoys building community and reading. Interestingly, she was a skilled ballerina for nearly two decades before becoming a mother in 2018, a role she cherishes alongside her devoted wife. Looking back, her educational background in community and technical fields aligns perfectly with her passion for empowering women. Aleta credits her dance career for cultivating her grit, resilience, and competitive drive. If you ask her what she excels at most, she’ll tell you “learning.” Success to her is a journey measured by the impact on people’s lives, inspiring them to think and act in ways they haven’t before.