2025 Diamond Gala

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the 2025 Diamond Gala at The Pierre Hotel. It was an incredible night! The Gala was such a special way to conclude our 75th anniversary and celebrate the impact that CEE has had on millions of students. 

CEE was founded to ensure that all students learn foundational knowledge of personal finance and economics. These subjects help students comprehend our complex world, negotiate decisions throughout their lives, and ultimately succeed in life. We will continue to be a leader in advancing economic and financial literacy for young people.  

We were honored to recognize two extraordinary leaders: Kelly Mahon Tullier, Vice Chair, Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer at Visa, with the Diamond Award, and Jeremy J. Siegel, Professor Emeritus of Finance at The Wharton School, with the Distinguished Economist Award. 

During the Fireside Chat, moderated by CEE Board Chair Rebecca Patterson, Mahon Tullier emphasized the importance of equipping students with the tools to make informed financial choices, noting her pride in Visa’s co-founding the FinEd50 coalition alongside CEE. Mahon Tullier’s career reflects her deep commitment to building a future where every student has access to high-quality financial education. 

Jeremy Siegel spoke of the importance of introducing economic principles to students long before college. After nearly 50 years in academia, he praised CEE for stepping in to ensure that all Americans, regardless of background, can develop the skills needed to navigate investing, budgeting, and decision-making in everyday life. 

We began our gala by honoring two outstanding teachers, Manoj Thadhani of Syosset Senior High School and Ian Weissman of Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts with the 2025 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Teaching Champion Award. Their passion and creativity have inspired their students and helped bring complex economic ideas to life in the classroom. 

The evening also featured a heartfelt tribute to Nan J. Morrison, who recently retired after 15 years as President and CEO of CEE. Nan received the William A. Forbes Public Awareness Award for her unwavering leadership and dedication to expanding access to economic and personal finance education. Under her guidance, CEE reached millions of students and hundreds of thousands of teachers across the country. 

One of the most moving moments of the night came during the “Mission Moment” Fireside Chat, featuring three exceptional students whose lives have been shaped by CEE’s programs. Gursaheb Chadha, a senior at Francis Lewis High School and National Personal Finance Challenge participant, spoke about his early passion for finance and his plans to study the subject at Baruch College. His classmate, Ebony Stapleton, a standout in the Invest in Girls program and already Bloomberg certified, shared how her experiences with Invest in Girls helped build her financial knowledge and confidence, and shared her excitement to pursue business and managerial economics in college. Finally, sophomore Alexei Varah from Hunter College High School discussed her love for behavioral economics and the mentorship she’s received through the National Economics Challenge. All three students spoke about the skills, confidence, and community they’ve gained through their CEE experiences. 

As dinner was served and conversations continued, it was clear: CEE’s mission is enduring, our impact is significant, and our community is ready to help.  Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and guests, our 2025 Diamond Gala raised over $700,000!  

As we look to the future, we are grateful for your support and excited to expand our programs to reach even more teachers and students nationwide. 

About the Council for Economic Education

The Council for Economic Education’s (CEE’s) mission is to equip K–12 students with the tools and knowledge of personal finance and economics so that they can make better decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities, and learn to successfully navigate in our ever-changing economy. We carry out our mission in three ways.  We advocate to require financial and economic education in every state. We provide training, tools and resources – online and live through over 180 affiliates nationwide – to more than 40,000 teachers annually who in turn bring the highest quality economics and personal finance instruction to over 4 million students. We deepen knowledge and introduce high school students to critical career capabilities through our national competitions and Invest in Girls program.

Media contact: 

CEE: press@councilforeconed.org