An Elizabethtown College education is for people who feel the pull to contribute to the world. With a network of 24,425 living alumni, our graduates leave Etown to become the influential advocates and changemakers the world needs more of.
Meet Natalie Birrell ’88, a Business Administration (Finance) alumna, President of Anchorage Capital, and Elizabethtown College Board of Trustee Member. Defined by her education and experiences at Etown, Natalie credits their lasting impact to the success of her illustrious professional career.
“My four years at Etown were more than just an education, they were a journey of inspiration and growth.”
What defined your Etown experience?
My four years at Etown were more than just an education, they were a journey of inspiration and growth. I had the opportunity to work closely with committed and invested professors, some of whom were responsible for ensuring a strong liberal arts foundation, and some of whom were responsible for ensuring the College’s mission to Educate for Service held true once I graduated. I am deeply grateful for both their commitment and that dual foundation to my education.
Talk about your career path after graduation.
After graduating from Etown, I started my career on Wall Street as a credit trainee in Bankers Trust’s Credit Training Program. I grew in that program and over the years learned I was interested in operating large and complex businesses within the Financial Services Industry. I eventually became COO of the Asset Management business for Bankers Trust and then Deutsche Bank. I then pivoted to the Alternative Investments Industry as consolidation in the Asset Management Industry curtailed my passion for innovation and an entrepreneurial approach to management.
In 2007, I became COO of Anchorage Capital Group a distressed debt and special situations credit alternative asset manager. Over the years, my team and I were responsible for building a world class infrastructure organization supporting complex investment strategies and products. Over the past five years, I was most recently Chair of the MFA – a trade organization responsible for representing Alternative Asset Managers in both the US and European Political and Regulatory environment. I am currently President of Anchorage.
What is your passion? Where do you place your energy besides your career?
In addition to my professional life, I am passionate about land management and agriculture – a passion, no doubt, I developed during my four years studying in Lancaster County. My husband and I reside on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
View more Etown Changemakers at etown.edu/125.