Our inaugural event will feature Michelle P. Cooper (Author, Director and Co-founder of XML-W), Shawn Yancy (award-winning DC news anchor and artist), and Eva Scheer (Certified Health Coach, Founder Side Hustle in the City).
Michelle will TEACH us something from her new book and life story, Shawn will speak about her passion to GIVE back to the community through her foundation and annual special events, and Eva will INSPIRE us with her personal story of perseverance and her newly created trailblazing social media platform.
MICHELLE P. COOPER
Michelle P. Cooper is the Director and Co-founder of XML-W, a division of XML Financial Group which focuses on the planning and financial needs of women at all stages of their lives. She brings to XML-W over 25 years of experience in the estate planning, finance and tax fields. Prior to joining the XML team, she worked for Merrill Lynch and U.S. Trust as a Director helping high-net-worth clients design and update their estate plans. She also had the responsibility of educating over 650 financial advisors on estate planning and trust services. Before starting her career at Merrill Lynch in 1996, she worked as an attorney specializing in tax and estate planning for the law firms of Ralph R. Polachek & Associates and Joseph, Gajarsa, McDermott & Reiner, P.C.
Michelle recently wrote a book called I’ve Still Got Me – A Widow’s Journey to Love, Happiness & Financial Independence. In this book, Michelle shares her personal story of resilience after the loss of her husband to suicide. By sharing her journey and the life lessons learned along the way, she hopes to empower women to become more active and involved with their finances and estate plan so they can live a more healthy and secure life.
SHAWN YANCY
Shawn Yancy is an Emmy award winning news anchor at Fox 5 in Washington, DC. She’s also a professional artist and the founder of Girls’ Night Out by Shawn Yancy. Girls’ Night Out is an annual charitable event that raises money and donations to benefit organizations working to empower and improve the lives of women and children in need. Over the years, Girls’ Night Out by Shawn Yancy has provided financial support and other donations to numerous charitable organizations. Shawn is passionate about giving back and that’s why she started Girls’ Night Out!
EVA SCHEER
Eva Scheer is a native Washingtonian with a science degree in Community Development and a master’s degree in Education. From 2007 – 2017, Eva worked as Director of Operations at a Nutritional Supplemental company that was recently sold to a Fortune 500 company. Eva is a graduate from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and is a certified Health and Wellness Coach currently serving private clients in the D.C. area and beyond.
In Dec 2018, Eva founded and created Side Hustle in the City, a forum for local women entrepreneurs which concentrates on making their business and our local community stronger, something Eva is extremely passionate about. This fast-growing group has proven the local and national need, desire and craving for community connections while supporting local small businesses.
Eva is married to Dr. Mark Scheer and together they have 2 sons. Ben, a senior at Vanderbilt University and Cade who has autism and attends high school in Montgomery County.
In her free time, Eva loves meeting local hustlers and getting to know their passion, skills and talent, and then loves sharing it with others!