Leading Women Entrepreneurs Series

A four-part series highlighting real women using entrepreneurship to create social welfare, wealth, and jobs as they innovate products and services through business.

(January 22, 2010) -- This series highlights women in power, women in spirit - real women using entrepreneurship to create social welfare, wealth, and jobs as they innovate products and services through business. We consider mothers and daughters in the legacy of family business; the roles of women as entrepreneurial professionals; and as CEOs creating meaning in their businesses through success and social action. Finally, we look at how young entrepreneurs are making their mark through innovative companies that challenge the status quo and change "business as usual." This is modern day entrepreneurship – taking the initiative and making things happen.

• Monday, March 1, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.: The Daughters of Family Business 
  Special Guests: Stephanie Sonnabend, CEO and President of Sonesta International Hotels Corporation and Randy Hustvedt, Principal, Federal Street Advisors
  Special Event Partner: Simmons School of Management Alumnae Association (SOMAA)
  Changing times offer women worldwide more options to create a lineage of women leaders in family business – to succeed, understanding the mix of gender, family and business issues is paramount.
  
  
• Monday, March 15, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.: Creating an Entrepreneurial Career Path through the Professions
  Special Guests: Dianne Savastano '99SM, CEO of Healthassist, Dianne Scheinberg Rishikof '04HS, MS, RD, LDN, founder of DBS Nutrition, and Marie Florcy-Celestin '00, '02GS, Founder of the G.I.R.L.S. Project and Girls TV
  Special Event Partners: Simmons College Career Education Center and Simmons School of Management Alumnae Association (SOMAA)
  Entrepreneurship is for everyone. Hear from three founders who will share the risks, rewards, challenges and successes of their entrepreneurial journey.
  
  
• Wednesday, March 24, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.: LWES Presents Ben Barry: Changing the Face and Shape of the Fashion Industry: A Young Entrepreneur's Story. 
  Special Event for Undergraduates at Simmons College, ALL welcome
  Special Guest: Ben Barry, Founder and CEO of the Ben Barry Agency; entrepreneur, author, & women's health advocate.
  Special Event Partners: Simmons College Health Education and Student Support Services; the Sociology Department; the Nutrition Department; and Dining Services
  Remember seeing those great Dove beauty bar ads showcasing real women? Meet 24-year-old Ben Barry, founder of the Ben Barry Agency, who is rewriting the fashion industry's rules of beauty with a new paradigm including models of all sizes, ages, and races. Ben built the Ben Barry Agency from the basement of his family home at age fourteen and now operates offices around the globe.
  
  
• Wednesday, March 31, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.: SOMAA Speaker Series and Leading Women Entrepreneurs Series Presents: Entrepreneur CEOs Working Their Social Mission
  Special Guests: CEOs Andrea Cohen of Houseworks, Christa Hagearty '95SM of Dependable Cleaners, and Susan Labandibar of Tech Networks of Boston.
  Special Event Partner: Simmons School of Management Alumnae Association (SOMAA)
  Special Event Sponsor: Federal Street Advisors
  Introduction: Using Your Wealth to Make the World a Better Place – Teresa Nelson, Ph.D.
  It's not enough to say that organizations are either socially driven or profit driven, non-profit or for-profit --some business leaders want it all. Successful CEOs discuss how they create value in their businesses through financial success and social action. Rooted at the intersection of entrepreneurship and philanthropy, we'll explore the decisions, priorities and trade-offs that business owners must make to guide their organizations towards achieving both commercial and social value.

Event Details
All events will be held at Simmons School of Management

RSVP Online
(required for reception and parking ticket)

Directions
http://www.simmons.edu/overview/directions/maps/

We sincerely thank the Coleman Foundation and the Will J. Reid Foundation for their support of this series, of our students and of our institution. We welcome additional supporters and alliance members.