Maria L. Chrin ’89

Maria L. Chrin is the Founder and Managing Partner of Circle Wealth Management (Circle), an independent wealth advisory firm headquartered in New York City. Designed by and for principals, Circle’s operating model delivers tailored solutions and truly integrated advice to help clients amplify their impact and steward their legacy. Circle manages nearly $14 billion and is recognized for its global access and deep expertise advising ultra-high-net-worth, multi-generational families, particularly women-led families, along with their related trusts and foundations.

Prior to founding Circle in 2007, Maria spent 15 years building a premier wealth management practice at Goldman Sachs and co-founding Circle Financial Group, a peer-to-peer advisory organization. These experiences inspired Circle’s distinctive service model, one centered on counseling and empowering clients, eschewing traditional product-driven models to maintain full alignment of interests. Maria is actively engaged in client relationships and is a member of the Investment Committee. Among many honors, she has been named one of the Top 100 Women Financial Advisors by the Financial Times and received the Lehigh University Distinguished Alumni Award in 2024.

A graduate of Columbia Business School (’89) and current member of the Columbia Business School Board, Maria serves as a guest lecturer and is leading the launch of the Integrated Wealth Management track. She and her husband, John (’88), are committed to supporting scholarships and financial education, including opportunities for women, girls, and minorities. A Honduran native and first in her family to attend college, Maria graduated summa cum laude from Lehigh University, where she served as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, Chair of the Investment Committee, and now serves as Trustee Emerita. She also serves on the Board of WHAM (Women Health Access Matters).