Women in Business
Prominent alumnae examine issues faced by women in business
1:22 p.m., April 25, 2016--The numbers tell the story: 2.4 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women; 7.6 percent of Fortune 500 top-earners are women; 15.7 percent of board seats are held by women.
Nationally, women account for 58 percent of the college student body, but 36.3 percent of MBA recipients.
Campus Stories
From graduates, faculty
Doctoral hooding
At the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, women comprise 43 percent of the student population.
“I need talented and resourceful women around the table to assist us in confronting these problems and contributing to what will be multifaceted solutions,” said Dean Bruce Weber, speaking to a group of notable and prominent alumnae in business.
Organized by the college and the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, the first Women in Business Summit was held on April 21 at UD’s student-run restaurant, Vita Nova. The event brought together more than 20 women in leadership positions to assess and address opportunities to increase gender diversity in academic majors and, ultimately, in the workforce.
And given that the divide starts well before college — and extends long beyond — the conversations amongst such an accomplished group were equally far ranging, covering such areas as education, career mapping and more.
“Women should discuss opportunities for advancement early on,” said Nancy Ferrell, a 1979 graduate and senior vice president and managing director of NorthMarq Capital, the leading privately held debt and equity provider for commercial real estate investors.
Ferrell, who spent much of her career as “the only woman in the room,” added, “There are more opportunities today to reach a management level. It’s a good time for women in business.”
But climbing the ladder, she acknowledged, often means developing skills that haven’t been taught, or deeper still, ingrained.
Courtney Smith Goodrich, a 1993 graduate and chief operating officer for global technology at JPMorgan Chase, credits her upbringing for part of her professional success.
“My dad would send all the kids out to cut the grass or change the oil,” she says. “I learned very early on that I could do anything my brother could do.”
And in the workforce, such can-do mentality often translates to skills like confidence and the ability to self-promote, negotiate and speak directly.
“You have to ask for what you want,” said Quinetta Roberson, a 1992 alumna and Fred J. Springer Chair in Business Leadership at Villanova University. “But that comes with preparation, with knowing what you want. And for women, it often means knowing your value and your worth.”
And that’s part of UD’s goal.
The Lerner College wants to inspire high potential women build their confidence, capabilities and networks to successfully move into senior leadership. To that end, the college is hosting two Women in Business Summits to pool the expertise of University graduates in leadership roles.
The next summit will be held on May 4 in New York City.
For more on the topic, follow #UDWomeninBiz on social media.
Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson