2024 Diamond Gala

We had fun, learned a little, and hit a new one-night fundraising record at the Council for Economic Education’s 2024 Diamond Gala! On Friday, April 30th, we celebrated CEE’s 75th year as a leader in advancing economic and financial literacy for young people. CEE was founded to ensure all students can learn foundational knowledge of personal finance and economics. These subjects help students comprehend our complex world, negotiate the decisions and changes they will inevitably face, and ultimately succeed in life. In short, economics and personal finance can work for them. 

The evening started with a festive cocktail hour and live music from Steve Liesman, Nate DeBrine, and Clare Maloney. Attendees were used to seeing Steve on their TV screens as CNBC’s Senior Economics Reporter and enjoyed seeing him rock the room! 

CEE President and CEO, Nan Morrison, and CEE Board Chair, Rebecca Patterson, kicked off the evening’s program connecting meaningful moments in recent history with the evolution of CEE. Looking to the future, they announced our $7.5M for 75 Years Campaign to continue and expand CEE’s important work. 

The program quickly turned its attention to teachers with the presentation of the 2024 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Teaching Champion Awards, which recognizes excellence in high school economic educators for the New York Metropolitan area. This year’s winners are: 

• Halle Amore Bauer, High School Economics and Modern World History Teacher, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Bronx, NY 
• Diana Isern, High School Personal Finance and Investments Teacher, Brooklyn Preparatory High School, Brooklyn, NY 
• Marta Lieberman, 12th grade Economics/Government and AP Economics Teacher, Francis Lewis High School, Fresh Meadows, NY 

Halle Amore Bauer shared, “I want students to leave my class knowing that economics is a tool that can be used to create a more just world. A strong understanding of economic concepts like incentives, tradeoffs, and sustainability can empower students to make choices that benefit not only themselves, but humanity.” 

Attendees also enjoyed hearing from students who have participated in CEE programs: Laura Adomaa, Invest in Girls student from the Frederick Douglass Academy; Victor Robila, New York State Personal Finance Challenge winner from Hunter College High School; and Lorelei Loraine, National Economics Challenge champion presently at Columbia University. These students are wonderful examples of the impact CEE programs has on the lives of students and gave many of us hope for a thoughtful and productive next generation. 

As part of our 75^th anniversary celebration, we had a special on-stage appearance from Jay Lanstein, who was on the winning team of the inaugural National Economics Challenge, held in 2001.

We finished our evening with the Honorees Fireside Chat with Glenn Hutchins, Chairman of North Island and North Island Ventures & Co-Founder of Silver Lake, and Gary H. Stern, Former President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, in conversation with Steve Leisman, CNBC Senior Economics Reporter. Glenn and Gary were recognized for their contributions and the audience enjoyed listening to their perspectives and insights on the world economy.  

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, CEE’s Diamond Gala hit a new record – $811,000 surpassing our evening’s goal to raise 10% of our 75th Anniversary Campaign goal of $7.5M.  These donations will help CEE ensure every student in America is taught essential financial and economic basics from kindergarten through high school. 

Thank you to our sponsors and to every guest who made this event such a success. We can’t wait for next year! 

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