Women MBA Conference’s Goal: Increasing Number of Women Business Leaders in Connecticut – and Beyond

The business world is on the cusp of a tremendous shift that will draw more women into top management positions, said the executive director of the National Association of Women MBAs (NAWMBA).

“In the business world, there aren’t always enough women at the top to mentor all the women coming up through the ranks, especially in the technology sector,” said Virginia Ware Meyers, executive director of NAWMBA. “Our goal is to help women connect with mentors and sponsors. We are in the beginning stages of a tremendous workplace shift.”

The organization will hold its annual conference and career fair in Stamford, from Oct. 20 to 22, with the UConn School of Business as the lead academic sponsor. Upwards of 1,500 professional women and MBA students are expected to attend the event at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Center.

This year’s conference theme is Connect with Confidence! and focuses on networking, communication and making meaningful personal and business connections. One keynote speaker is UConn alumna Melissa Cummings ’98 MBA, senior vice president and chief customer officer at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island.

Professor Lucy Gilson, head of the School of Business’ management program, said hosting the event in Stamford provides a tremendous opportunity for UConn’s women MBA students.

“The conference provides a wonderful learning experience where tomorrow’s women leaders can meet the leaders of today, hear their stories, ask questions, and hopefully continue to increase the numbers of women leaders in Connecticut and beyond,” she said.

“It is not often that one is in a room full of aspiring business leaders who are all women,” she said. “We all know that women are still scarce in top leadership positions. But conferences like NAWMBA are designed to change that. Our students will have a unique opportunity to learn from the very best and be surrounded by colleagues and peers who all want to see women play a key role in shaping the business environment.”

The program features a leadership retreat for student and professional chapter leaders, two-days of speakers, panels and workshops offering the insights of experienced leaders, and a career fair featuring representatives from global companies. The event also includes many networking receptions.

“One of the things we are most excited about is getting the MBA students and professionals in front of the companies that recruit from across the world,” Meyers said. Among the 60-plus companies who will be recruiting are Amazon, the conference’s lead corporate sponsor, Johnson & Johnson, Ford, Cigna, Infosys, the U.S. Navy, the CIA and the FDIC.

For more information, please visit www.nawmba.net.