Women’s Week Coming to Smith School’s College Park Campus
Women’s Week is coming to College Park. The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is hosting a week-long series of speakers and activities geared to professional growth from March 28 through April 1. Each program is free to attend.
Statistics show that women attending universities in the U.S. earn the majority of degrees, but not at business schools. Women’s Week coincides with Smith School’s pledge to achieve gender parity in Smith MBA programs by the year 2020, which also is the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage.
Sharon Strange Lewis, the Smith School’s Senior Director of Women and Diversity Programs and an executive MBA graduate (’05) of the school, said in a statement on the Smith School Website,
“The series is designed to engage women in a breadth of topics to inform and help grow their professional networks.”
Here’s a schedule of events set for Women’s Week, according to a post on the Smith website:
Monday, March 28, Flexing Your Personal Finance Muscle
Blue Ocean Global Wealth CEO and Smith School alumna Marguerita Cheng, ‘93, gives a talk on developing successful financial strategies. Sponsored by the Office of Women and Diversity Programs and Smith’s Black MBA Association. Noon – 2 PM
Tuesday, March 29, Self Defense for Women
Fitness trainer and Smith Executive MBA alumnus Uriel Casas, ’13, covers personal safety do’s and don’ts for a daily routine. Sponsored by the Office of the Dean. Noon – 2 PM
Wednesday, March 30, Women Affirming Women
Women at Smith call out and share affirmations with professors, co-workers or classmates for exhibiting such qualities as strength and executive presence. Sponsored by the Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets. 8:30 – 10 AM
Thursday, March 31, Textron Fireside Chat
UMD alumnae from Textron, a leading multi-industry company, discuss how women are succeeding in the defense industry and their career opportunities in business, engineering and technology. Sponsored by the Office of Women and Diversity Programs in conjunction with Smith’s Office of Career Services. This event is for pre-registered UMD Students. 5 – 6 PM
Thursday, March 31, Women Leading Women
Giving career insights in this fifth annual forum are UMD alumna who were keynote speakers for previous programs in the series: Andrea Brody (’87) senior vice president of Global Marketing for BravoSolution; Brenda Freeman, (’87, MBA ’91), chief marketing officer for National Geographic Channel; Kristen Welch (’90, MBA ’96) senior vice president of Global Content Operations at Discovery Communications; and Lisa Anders (MBA ’95) vice president of business development for McKissack & McKissack. Sponsored by Textron. 6:30 PM
Seating typically fills up quickly for this event. You can register here to reserve your place. Light refreshments and a reception immediately follow the event, including a raffle drawing for some great giveaways.
Friday, April 1, Executive Women’s Roundtable
The Smith Association of Women MBAs and the Smith Executive Coaching Program hosts this networking opportunity and presents strategies to navigate issues including executive presence, leadership styles, negotiation, mentorship, sponsorship and work-life balance. Refreshments included. 6 PM
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Max Pulcini
Max Pulcini is a Philadelphia-based writer and reporter. He has an affinity for Philly sports teams, Super Smash Bros. and cured meats and cheeses. Max has written for Philadelphia-based publications such as Spirit News, Philadelphia City Paper, and Billy Penn, as well as national news outlets like The Daily Beast.
