Michael Walsh: New Course in Community Impact
PRINCIPAL, EVENSKY & KATZ / FOLDES WEALTH MANAGEMENT CHAIR, CORAL GABLES COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
A New Jersey native, Michael Walsh has now so deeply embroidered himself into the fabric of Coral Gables we might as well just call him a Gableite. The young finance hotshot first met his mentor, Deena Katz (of Evensky & Katz), in graduate school, which is how he ended up in the Gables. “She’s like the Einstein of financial services,” says Walsh. “She’s the Joe DiMaggio, the Babe Ruth, the biggest hitter in the entire world.” When Katz told him he was going to work at her firm after his first year of graduate school at Texas Tech, he said simply, “Yes, ma’am.” So began Walsh’s career at Evensky & Katz / Foldes Wealth Management, where he’s moved from intern to wealth manager and principal over the last nine years. Today, Walsh handles about $300 million in client assets and chairs the Coral Gables Community Foundation, where he’s volunteered since he first arrived in the Gables.
LATEST ACHIEVEMENT
This year, Walsh was named Chair of the Coral Gables Community Foundation, the city’s largest charitable organization. As Chair, Walsh is heading up the Foundation’s Strategic Plan, which involves initiatives like board development, increased fundraising goals, and sponsoring a community needs assessment to determine how best to serve the community. This year, the Community Foundation has issued $1.4 million in scholarships to local students, as well as $300,000 in community grants. Total giving is around $3.2 million year to date, up from roughly $350,000 when Walsh first joined the board in 2017.
WHAT HE SAYS
“We have big, big goals for the future to continue to expand in the community,” says Walsh of the Coral Gables Community Foundation. “There is tremendous need, and we have traction in terms of what we’re able to reinvest in amazing organizations around Coral Gables. A lot of my time is spent on the Strategic Plan, working with different board members and stakeholders to make sure that we’re focusing on the impact that’s most critically important for our fundholders, stakeholders, and our community itself.”