Women in Business Blog

LAST Speaker Meeting of the YEAR!

2009-04-21T16:14:00.004-05:00

Hello hello everyone! I want to invite you all to the last WIB speaker meeting of the 2008-2009 school year. The semester sure has gone by quickly and the 60-70 degree days certainly have been making it harder to focus on school (especially if you are a senior)! But there is still one more great WIB speaker meeting to attend:

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 from 12-1 pm in Hanson Hall 1-103 -- Beth Smits, VP of Service Operations -- Best Buy

Beth Smits, VP of Service Operations at Best Buy, will be coming to discuss Best Buy's WOLF Program. WOLF stands for WOmen's Leadership Forum and is a group at Best Buy that helps build strong female leaders at the company. Check them out on Facebook (WOLFinspires).

Also at the last speaker meeting, the 2009-2010 WIB Executive Board will be introduced! Lunch will be provided (MESA pizza). I hope to see you there!

1st meeting of the semester! HMH 1-103

2009-01-26T22:53:00.001-06:00

Our first WIB speaker of the semester will be Accenture on Wednesday, January 28th from Noon-1pm. Our room for the semester has changed and we are now in HMH 1-103! Accenture will be discussing International Business! I can't wait to see all of you there!

2008-12-09T13:26:00.001-06:00

It's hard to believe that the semester is already winding down. Our last WIB speaker of the semester is tomorrow, Wells Fargo, and after that a month off! It'll be a great time to refresh, rejuvenate, and come back in full swing for second semester. Thank you to everyone for their help in making this semester such a successful one for WIB!

Feel like you're waiting for the world?

2008-09-24T12:27:00.000-05:00

...And We're Off !!

2008-09-03T21:22:00.005-05:00

Welcome to a new school year and a new and exciting year for Women in Business! WIB has multiple kick off events planned this year that are sure to be a lot of fun. Check out our calendar of events for dates to not only learn about WIB but also to get some great food (always a plus)!

One great thing about these events is that you will meet the Executive Board members. Yes, I may be a biased source but I'm very proud of all the planning the WIB E-Board has done over the summer to make this school year a SPECTACULAR one for WIB. These are an amazing bunch of young women and I can assure any potential member of WIB that everyone on the E-Board dedicates a great deal of time to make WIB a positive experience for you.

There are so many ways to get involved with WIB, whether it be attending speaker meetings, volunteering on a commitee, attending social or networking events, or even becoming part of the E-Board as a Freshman Representative. I can happily say that joining WIB was one of the best decisions I could have made during my early years at the U. I've met so many great people, students and professionals alike and have heard some amazing speakers. Coming from a small town, WIB has also allowed me to bring the U down to a more managable size. Now I see faces I know everywhere!

So, come join WIB for one of our upcoming events. WIB has a lot to offer and is sure to be a great experience! I hope to see many new and returning faces to WIB this year!

-- Amy Brinkman, VP of Corporate Relations

New E-Board!

2008-04-15T23:33:00.002-05:00

The new Executive Board members are updated on the "Officers" page. After Beth helped me translate the code, of course :o). I feel like I'm in The Matrix when one guy was talking about the code and how he just sees "blonde, brunette, redhead..." instead of the falling green numbers. I kind of understand it, but HTML is a language, and not an easy one at that. I have a lot to learn I see...

Anyway, check out the officers page to get to know your Board members. Pictures will be up soon!

KelsE

WiB International

2008-04-09T03:32:00.002-05:00

Hey fellow WiBers! I recently had the opportunity to experience a WiB networking and speaker meeting in London hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. The speaker, Lindsay McKenna, was an amazingly unique woman who is interested in teaching teamwork and management by studying the way wild animals interact. In fact, did you know that a lioness in the middle of a hunt would not stop to kill a warthog because she is so focused on her goal?

Lindsay also is working on conservation methods and responsible farming in South Africa. She is an entrepreneur, mother, author and speaker. My editor saw the value of sharing this with business professionals and let me publish a full-page article about how such a strong woman was making her way in the world.

I was thrilled to be able to attend this WiB event and I wanted to let you know that woman all over the world are forming together to share experiences and help each other out. Go us!

A Date Auction Model's Perspective

2008-03-31T12:09:00.003-05:00

It was a privilege to have the opportunity to participate in Dream Date for Hope as a model. During the pre-event stages I was excited about this interesting concept of a Date Auction. However, my energy soon turned into apprehension...was I really selling myself? Will this change how people view me? However, after I heard the Szott family speak, all of those fears diminished. It didn't matter if I made a fool of myself. I didn't care if I looked silly or if the MCs shared an embarrasing story about me (which they did). :) After I thought more about WHY we were doing this, I felt honored to be a part of it. Women In Business members worked so hard to make this auction happen; their perseverance helped the Szott Foundation help other families in need. Talk about the circle of giving! And hey- some of us got some pretty cool dates out of it. :) Nice job to everyone involved including those who came to support us!

Dream Date for Hope Rocks!

2008-03-30T18:54:00.002-05:00

Wow! I can't get over the Dream Date for Hope event held last Thursday. Thank you to all of those that came and supported the cause. We raised over $5,000! I hope those of you who won dates enjoy them to the fullest.

Models, Models!

2008-02-28T13:21:00.004-06:00

Millions came and interviewed last night for the job of being a model in the date auction. It was a lot of fun listening to the crazy embarrassing moments and secret talents and perfect dates. We are confident we will have a wonderful array of models, judging by how hard it is choosing!

Some of us also got a chance to ask Mary and Bob (Dean of CSOM and another Admin) questions about the newest Carlson changes to curriculum, the new building and what it all means for incoming freshmen and seniors down the road.

Also, our speaker yesterday was interesting talking about Wells Fargo and the opportunities. Though Finance/Accounting is not really my thing, it was good to hear about the paths one can take when starting a new job. And hey, we can have families AND be business professionals! Who knew?!

Once again,
KelsE

The morning after Networking on Nicollet

2008-02-23T10:00:00.002-06:00

After taking the bus downtown, some of us found the skywalks to be a quick way to the Hyatt.

Arriving shortly after 11:30, the networking had already begun, some mingling among men and women alike.

Heidi then stepped to the podium after everyone took their initial seats and welcomed us all.

Then, we got busy eating and networking!

I thought it was a great experience, especially as my first real networking event. I ended up talking about iron chopsticks with a woman from Carlson companies for a good twenty minutes, after finding out she had worked in South Korea! And the biggest thing I learned, as far as the college experience goes, is to STUDY ABROAD and take advantage of all the opportunities at Carlson and the U. I hope everyone else enjoyed themselves as much as I did, and let's just say that chocolate cake was fabulous. Way to go Hyatt! Oh, and a shout-out to Heidi's mom for the beautiful flowers and vases she contributed for the decor.

KelsE

2008-02-19T21:06:00.003-06:00

So we are busy at work for our upcoming events-- so much going on! Our big networking event is this Friday, which should be a lot of fun... We are also in the process of planning our first ever Date Auction to benefit the Andrew and Abby Szott Foundation; check out www.szottfoundation.org for more info about the organization. Abby was a close friend of mine from home and I am really excited to be doing something to help her family's foundation... you should all come to the event! Look for more info about it coming up in March!

Keep it real homes :-)

Kelsey (Webster)

Women's Leadership Conference

2008-02-16T09:27:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to volunteer at and attend the Women's Leadership Conference through WIB along with many of our members. What a great experience!

Being at the conference made me think about what presenter Anna Lloyd said on Wednesday: "You can't be what you don't see." For me, it felt a renewal of my passion and leadership to be surrounded by strong women in the corporate world for a day, a reminder of what I want to be.

The highlight of the event for me was a keynote by current CEO of the YWCA, Becky Roloff. While Becky loved her over 25 years in the corporate sector, she described her decision to join the YWCA as well as her fight to improve early childhood education in Minnesota. I also enjoyed trying to muddle my way through a seminar on planning for retirement (401K, Roth IRA, nest egg?) and lunch with women from Carlson Companies and Medtronic.

Movie Stars!

2008-02-14T16:06:00.002-06:00

So, we're in the middle of a mock WIB executive board meeting....we're shooting a movie. It's for the "Price is Right" sponsored by Business Board on March 6th. Everyone should come! It's in 3M Auditorium at 7:00 pm. WIB will be on the big screen! If this doesn't show that WIB isn't just about speaker meetings, I don't know what will. Next step for WIB--Hollywood!

The New Face of Carlson WIB

2008-01-26T12:24:00.000-06:00

Hey, Women in Business is excited to announce that we will now have a blog on our website. Feel free to come check out what our officers are up to and thinking about!