Columbia finance lecturer Eleni Vrana blends teaching, mentoring and industry experience

Eleni Vrana, a Columbia University lecturer and former finance leader, is using decades of corporate and academic experience to teach graduate students, mentor young people and support women’s advancement. Her profile highlights a career built around finance education, service and family-centered values.

Why it matters: - Eleni Vrana’s career shows how senior finance experience can translate into classroom teaching and mentorship. - Her work reaches graduate students at Columbia University, elementary school readers through volunteer service, and future MBA students through mentoring. - Her story reflects a broader push to connect finance education with practical business decision-making and student support.

What happened: - Vrana is a lecturer at Columbia University in the City of New York, where she teaches corporate finance at the School of Professional Studies. - She has more than a decade of teaching experience. - She is currently focused primarily on teaching and volunteering. - She volunteers with Read Ahead, a program that helps elementary school students build a love of reading. - She has applied to mentor international students in George Washington University’s MBA program.

The details: - Vrana spent 11 years at Sotheby’s in New York City. - At Sotheby’s, she held multiple leadership positions and supported the financial operations behind major auctions. - She worked as one of the account managers overseeing financial activities and high-value transactions. - After Sotheby’s, she joined Columbia University’s Finance Department and spent 16 years in leadership roles. - During much of that time, she also taught at Columbia while balancing both roles for nearly a decade. - Her academic credentials include a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of San Francisco, an MBA from The George Washington University, and a Master’s Business Certificate in Finance and Management from Columbia University. - Vrana is preparing to publish a co-authored book about women’s success and happiness. - The book focuses on balancing family, work, personal growth and purpose. - She says faith, family, communication skills and hard work have shaped her success. - She identifies her son, Gregory, as her biggest accomplishment and her daughter-in-law, Neda, as her greatest blessing.

Between the lines: - Vrana’s path suggests a deliberate shift from corporate finance into teaching and service-oriented leadership. - Her emphasis on mentoring women, international students and young readers points to a career built around access and encouragement, not just instruction. - Her experience as an international student appears to inform her focus on perseverance, confidence and asking for help. - The combination of finance, academia and volunteering gives her message more credibility with students who want both technical skills and career guidance.

What’s next: - Vrana plans to keep teaching, volunteering and mentoring while giving back to her community. - She wants to help students, women and young professionals recognize their potential and pursue their goals with courage. - Her upcoming book will extend her message about purpose, growth and balancing family with career.

The bottom line: - Eleni Vrana has turned a long career in finance into a platform for teaching, mentorship and service, with Columbia University at the center of that work.