Dara Duguay

Dara Duguay is the Executive Director of the Credit Builders Alliance. Prior to her current role, she operated her own consulting practice, advising clients such as TD Bank, the World Bank Group, Experian, Visa, and SunTrust Bank on financial education efforts. Duguay previously held the position of Director of Citi’s Office of Financial Education, where she managed a $200 million global commitment. Before her tenure at Citi, she was the Executive Director of the Jumpstart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, advocating for enhanced financial education for youth. She began her career in the field as the Director of Education for the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Los Angeles.

Duguay is recognized as a national expert on personal finance. Her media presence spans major U.S. print publications, and she has been a frequent guest on national television and radio networks. She is the author of three personal finance books: "The Citi Commonsense Money Guide for Real People," "Please Send Money: A Financial Survival Guide for Young Adults on Their Own," and "Don’t Spend Your Raise: And 59 Other Money Rules You Can’t Afford to Break."

As an experienced public speaker, Duguay has delivered speeches at numerous prestigious conferences, including the G8 summit in Moscow on financial literacy, the European Commission’s summit on financial capacity, and the OECD annual meeting. She addresses key issues such as credit building strategies to achieve financial goals and long-term stability, improving credit scores, and managing credit effectively. Her discussions also encompass financial challenges faced by young adults, including strategies for achieving independence and avoiding dependency.

Duguay has been honored with the Medal of Merit from the U.S. Treasury’s Savings Bond Volunteer Committee and was appointed to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Economics Steering Committee. She holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Michigan and received her M.A. in International Relations from Schiller University in Paris, France. She resides in Washington, DC.