Kara Leigh Dowling returned to the world of investment finance as portfolio manager and research analyst at Bradley, Foster & Sargent Inc. following a stint with a nonprofit.
The 38-year-old Goshen resident spent several years with The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in New York City before returning to her native Connecticut for a position at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center.
She’s now turning her attention back to a career in investment.
“I knew I would want to go back to this; it was just about finding a place with the right cultural fit,” Dowling said. “I wanted to find a place that focused on both ethics and client services.”
Dowling graduated from Harvard University in 1992 with a degree in economics. She began her career as a math teacher at Deerfield Academy, a job that honed her presentation and interaction skills.
“I never would have gotten a senior level job at Goldman Sachs if I had jumped into the finance world as a kid coming right out of college,” Dowling said.
In 1995, she worked in equity research at Goldman Sachs, analyzing companies, industries and stocks to advise clients on investment decisions.
While there, she attended classes at Columbia Business School, earning an MBA in 1999. Dowling made a conscious decision to join the nonprofit sector as director of program development for the foundation and development office at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford.
“No matter what, it’s about taking pride in what you do and doing it well, focusing on the details and having the tenacity to figure out where new opportunities lie,” she said. “That’s something that my job at Goldman taught me.”
Dowling’s job now requires her to manage individual client accounts and research stocks to generate new ideas for the firm.
She also takes time to volunteer with the Connecticut Historical Society as a member of the board and is a member of the 2008 Leadership Greater Hartford Quest Class.
“One of the benefits of being here is the option to get involved in community organizations,” Dowling said. “It’s rewarding for me to stay involved in nonprofits.”
Emily Boisvert is a Hartford Business Journal staff writer.
