Joan Haffenreffer ’73

Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer, Enterprise Services and Public Affairs at Citi

Graduated:

1973

College:

Brown University

Leadership stats:

Responsible for Risk and Control governance across Citi’s global platform in nearly 100 countries with more than 11,000 employees

Never stop learning

There’s a saying that if you want something done, give it to a busy person, and Joan Haffenreffer ’73 certainly provides evidence to its truth. In her professional role at Citi, she leads the team that drives governance processes, manages expenses and the talent initiatives across the firm’s Enterprise Services and Public Affairs groups. But that is not nearly all that keeps her occupied and in demand.

“I have two boys, fully grown and out of the house. As they started to move on, I wanted to make sure that I continue to keep learning and stay engaged,” Joan explains. She built upon her love of tennis, a sport she played at Dana Hall, and joined the executive committees of the Women's Sports Foundation and the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “Tennis has made a huge difference in my life — it’s about handling pressure, handling competition, handling winning and losing, and moving on and learning from that experience,” she said.

At Dana Hall, Joan had the opportunity to regularly go into Boston and volunteer in an urban kindergarten classroom. That experience carried through to serving on the boards of Graham Windham, New York City’s oldest child support agency, the Apollo Theater’s Education Fund, and leading the Women’s Forum of New York as President.

“I am a huge believer that we should challenge ourselves to never stop learning,” says Joan. “It's one thing to learn in a work environment from your colleagues, but stepping out and working alongside people who have different responsibilities and life experiences expands your learning opportunities.”