About the Program
At Citadel Securities, colleagues are encouraged to use their expertise to strengthen the communities where they live and work. Through the firm’s Community Leaders program, which provides nonprofit board matching, governance training and financial support, employees are helping organizations around the world advance their missions and create lasting impact.
How Nikki Ho-Shing Supports BEAM’s Growth Through Board Service
For students from historically under-served communities, access to advanced academic pathways and specialized enrichment can reshape their long-term educational and career trajectories.
Founded in 2011, Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) helps high-potential students pursue high-level mathematics through summer programs, intensive coursework, and multi-year mentorship. The organization’s fundamental premise is that mathematical talent is distributed evenly, but access to opportunities to develop one’s talent is not. BEAM connects scholars who possess the raw drive and intellect with the support and advanced challenges they need to grow. Today, BEAM’s network of programs in New York City and Los Angeles prepares these students to step into competitive universities and ultimately STEM careers.
For Nikki Ho-Shing, Citadel Securities’ Head of Organizational Development, BEAM’s mission is deeply personal. Raised in an immigrant family that championed education as the ultimate equalizer, Nikki has long been dedicated to education-focused nonprofits, including serving as a founding board member of a New York City charter school in the South Bronx.
When colleagues introduced Nikki to BEAM, she immediately wanted to get involved and ultimately became a board member in 2024. “When approached about joining, I reminded them, ‘I’m not a mathematician,’” Nikki says. “But the board’s response was that my background was a feature, not a bug.” Drawing on her expertise in Human Resources and Communications, Nikki set to work strengthening internal operations as BEAM scales. While sitting out a non-compete period during her first year of board service, she had the time and bandwidth to dive in and add immediate value: helping to establish a formal performance review framework for the CEO and, as a member of the board’s governance committee, shaping processes that align with the nonprofit’s long-term strategy.
Ultimately, board service allows Nikki to channel her professional expertise into creating tangible, community-level change. After joining Citadel Securities, she tapped into the firm’s Community Leaders program, which empowers colleagues to make a meaningful difference through civic leadership.
“Thinking through how to be intentional in your board work is not something generally taught,” Nikki says. “Having the firm’s support to continue translating my professional experience into local impact has been incredibly valuable.”
Visit our Civic Leadership page to learn more about Citadel Securities’ Community Leaders program.
