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2023 Women in Business Conference Recap

Women in Business Keynote Interview

The 18th annual Women in Business Conference at Holy Cross held on Saturday, November 4, 2023 was an empowering and inspirational event for alumnae and students alike. It focused on various aspects of women’s careers and personal growth within the business world. Here are a few key takeaways from the conference: 

Empowerment and Inspiration: The conference serves as a beacon of empowerment and inspiration for women pursuing success in the business industry. It aims to encourage women to strive for their goals and advance their careers while networking with other alum.

Diversity: Marybeth Kearns-Barrett ‘84 P22 27, the Director of the College Chaplains, emphasized the importance of diversity in her message. This underscores the significance of inclusivity in the business world.

Holy Cross Impact: Christine Anderson ’99, who is the Global Head of Corporate Affairs at Blackstone, served as the keynote speaker. She discussed the value of her liberal arts education in her career journey and highlighted that success in business is not limited to specific majors. Anderson pointed out that the finance industry, though still male-dominated, is a great place for women to work. She encouraged women to actively participate in discussions and engage in the field. She mentioned that Holy Cross’s mission statement still resonates with her, suggesting that the college’s values of “being women for and with others” continue to guide her in her career. 

Networking and Support: Anderson called for students and alumni to support each other and work to strengthen their network at Holy Cross. This highlights the importance of networking and building a supportive community which Holy Cross fosters.

Continuous Improvement: The call for students to always strive to be better indicates the importance of personal and professional growth and development.

Overall, the conference provided a platform for women to learn from successful women in business, gain insights into career development, and foster a sense of community and support among students and alumni. It emphasizes the value of education, diversity, and the importance of women’s active participation in traditionally male-dominated fields like finance.

Special thanks to the conference student organizing committee led by Liz Garfield ’24, Bridget Hayden ’24, Sydney Ives’ 24 and Alexandria “Sasha” Paradise ’24.  Your year-round leadership and enthusiasm in bringing together alumnae and students has been notable.  Thank you! 

Written by Liz Garfield ‘24 & Ariana Clark ‘25.
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College Podcast Features Ciocca Center

Mission Driven Podcast Logo

The Mission-Driven Podcast features conversations with alumni who are leveraging their Holy Cross education to make a meaningful difference in the world around them.  Produced by the Office of Alumni Relations at the College of the Holy Cross.

In this episode, modern-day Renaissance woman Yolanda Rabun ’90, recent Women in Business speaker, is joined in conversation with Holly Tente ’23, Student Diversity Liaison for the Ciocca Center. Their inspirational conversation covers a lot of ground.  With their shared passion for social justice, they speak about how Holy Cross inspires them to work hard and make change in their own communities.
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Networking and Collaboration: WIB and Dress for Success Story

The Women in Business student organizing committee welcomed Dress for Success Worcester to their weekly meeting on April 12, 2021. The committee met with Justina Lachapelle, Beth Butler, and Nellie Philius who chatted with the group about Dress for Success’s day-to-day activities and their new ways of supporting women during the pandemic.

Following this informational review of the organization, they offered a fun and thought-provoking workshop on vision boards. The team at Dress for Success shared that they like to create a transformational experience for all the women they service where they help with resume and cover letter writing, offer tips on personal branding, and fit them for an interview suit and a week’s worth of professional attire. The women serviced have to be referred by a Dress for Success Agency Partner, such as the College, are unemployed and seeking work, or under-employed. They help women set up SMART goals, an acronym for: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound goals that the women can work towards.

The vision board served as the perfect way for the WIB student committee to share how they are feeling in the semester and provide a space for the new members and the current members to interact in an interactive setting. 

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Thanks to Nalani Ramos Ruiz ’21  for maintaining the Women in Business and Dress for Success Worcester relationship and sharing this committee experience.
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Women in Business Volunteers at National Organization

WIB Committee Members at Dress for Success

Earlier this month, members of the Women in Business student committee spent a morning at Dress for Success Worcester. Dress for Success is a non-profit national organization dedicated to promoting female financial independence and career achievement by providing free professional clothing to wear in the workplace and to job interviews. In addition to providing clothing, the organization also assists women with resume building and interview preparation to increase their chances of being hired.

WIB committee members volunteered at the Worcester branch where they organized, steamed, and polished clothing and shoe donations. We were also able to learn more about what the organization does for the women it supports and opportunities to further get involved. We learned various helpful career and resume tips from Dress for Success staff members. For example, Justina Lachapelle  and Beth Butler, executive director and program director respectively, explained the difference between branding and marketing and how understanding the distinction between the two can be important when developing your own personal brand for purposes such as job interviews.

Spending the morning with Dress for Success was a great way to bring in the new committee members and to better get to know one another outside of our weekly meetings. It was a great opportunity to give back to an organization that does so much to support female empowerment in the professional world.

As a committee, we are currently working to plan the 15th annual Holy Cross Women in Business Conference which will take place on campus Saturday, November 7th, 2020. We have confirmed our morning keynote alumna speaker (stay tuned for an announcement!) and are planning plenty of new programming and surprises! I hope you will celebrate 15 years with us!

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Thanks to Grace Ingram ’20, WIB Committee Co-Chair, for sharing her experience.  We look forward to the 15th annual conference this fall!
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2018 Women in Business Conference Recap

Reflecting on Hurricane María and the devastation that hit Puerto Rico, the Ferré Rangel sisters say the power of their belief — to do good as both businesswomen and corporate citizens — was tested last year. As Loren puts it, the first order of business was to step into, not away from, the fray – a lesson, first learned on The Hill, that transcends geography.

Thank you to our keynotes, Loren Ferré Rangel ’92, chief creative officer of Grupo Ferré Rangel, María Eugenia Ferré Rangel ’89, chief communications officer of Grupo Ferré Rangel, and chairperson of the board of directors, GFR Media, and to Dean Michele Murray, VP for Student Affairs, Dean of Students, at Holy Cross for an inspiring interview.

WANT MORE?

Join us next year for the annual conference on Saturday, November 2, 2019! Thanks for reading, Cassie

Cassie Gevry, Associate Director of Student Engagement
Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, and Society

 
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Join the WIB Network!

The annual fall Women in Business Conference comes but once a year, but the student committee would argue differently. With conference planning that takes a full year, and various student events each semester, the student committee has a new goal: Create a network of women in business.

Kate Beckerman ’20 decided after the 2017 conference to create the Women in Business newsletter, Purple Pulse, with the first edition sent out mid-April 2018. She explains “I saw how special of a community we had at the conference and I wanted to have a way to keep us connected and inspired throughout the year.” She went on to say the name “Purple Pulse” was inspired by the phrase “Bleed Purple” which speaks to how passionate  students and alumnae are about HC. “Pulse” refers to our strong network and the burst of empowerment we receive at each conference. Beckerman hopes this newsletter will help to strengthen this amazing community year round.

>> Join the Community! Register for the next installment of the Purple Pulse newsletter to see student and alumnae highlights, conference announcements, upcoming events, career tips and year-round inspiration!

 

2018 Women in Business Student Committee


Meet your 2018 Women in Business Student Committee! 

Top Left to Bottom Right: Nalani Ramos Ruiz ’21, Kate Beckerman ’20, Casey Carty ’18, Rosangel Cruz Cabrera ’18, Grace Ingram ’21, Clare O’Leary ’19, Sarah Anderson ’20, Margaret Anderson ’21

Not Pictured: & Mary McGregor ’19 and Delaney Wells ’20

 
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It’s Finally HERE!

Your WOMEN IN BUSINESS NEWSLETTER is finally here!

We are so excited to announce the first edition of The Purple Pulse! In addition to the annual Women in Business conference, the goal is to support this amazing community year-round with a quarterly newsletter – to uplift, strengthen and inspire! 

What can you expect? The student committee will focus on what’s new, upcoming events, spotlights and more!

Check your inbox for the *first* edition of the Women in Business NEWSLETTER! #hcwib #purplepulse

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2017 Women in Business Student Recap

Miss the annual Women in Business conference? No worries! Read a review of the 2017 Women in Business conference, written by committee members Sarah Anderson ’20 and Kate Beckerman ’20.   Special THANK YOU to Provost Freije for interviewing Deirdre Latour ’95, Senior Advisor, VP & COO at GE.

Find Your Power Center: GE’s Deirdre Latour ’95 Offers Advice to Students at Women in Business Conference. Students spent a day learning and networking with alumnae at annual conference.

SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, November 3, 2018 << Stay tuned for the keynote announcement!

 

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