Her Story
About Myra
Myra Myers is an accomplished trust administration professional with over a decade of experience in wealth management and special needs trusts. Since 2011, she has served as Director of Special Needs Trust Administration, where she works closely with parents and guardians to enhance beneficiaries' quality of life while adhering to trust documents. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration along with certifications including ATSA, Cannon Trust School 1 and 2, and is studying for her CTFA. Her notable achievement includes publication in the Phoenix Journal on special needs trusts in Arizona. She began her career in wealth management after a layoff in 2008, taking time off and then starting as an assistant to a managing director in Wilmington, Delaware, where she was trained and assigned to a special needs trust book of business, inspired by her mother's work as a paraprofessional for special needs children.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Myra
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to having a solid family support. My parents were always go-getters, especially my mom. I feel like I've always had that drive just to make them proud and to become an overachiever. That has stuck with me since I was a little girl.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received was to be patient with the process and to learn as much as I can. It stuck with me no matter my title. I always feel relatable because I'm willing to hear what others know and have an openness to learn. Sometimes criticism can create a pathway forward if you sit back and ask how to learn from it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be true to themselves, advocate for themselves, and remember leadership starts before you get a title. Show up, be accountable, be reliable. Show up early to meetings, assist someone, ask someone to be your mentor. It's not easy being a woman or a woman of color in this industry, but if you want something bad enough, work for it, stay true to who you are, and it will work out.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is when dealing with trusts at a bank, they try to co-mingle other lines of business which pulls away from the relationship part of managing a special needs trust. The opportunity is getting involved in the community and with clients to really know the subject matter, which gives more job security in this niche market.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The greatest value is having a heart of compassion. It spills over from my personal life where I have been a caregiver for my parents. Being kind is important so that when a person interacts with me, they walk away saying they had a great experience.
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