Smith Women Speak Up at National Conference

Women need to recognize their worth, stop apologizing and ask for what they deserve at work, a Smith School alumnae panel told participants Oct. 20-22, 2016, at the annual National Association of Women MBAs Conference and Career Fair in Stamford, Conn.

Smith’s Senior Director of Women and Diversity Programs Sharon Strange Lewis, EMBA ’05, moderated the discussion, “You Have a Seat at the Table, But Is Your Voice Being Heard?”

Panelists included Sherika E. Ekpo, MBA ’09, talent acquisition lead at the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau; Martine M. Saint Vil, MBA ’10, senior finance manager, digital, at Nickelodeon/Viacom; and Kristen Welch, ’90, MBA ’96, senior vice president of global content operations at Discovery Communications.

“Smith is committed to closing the gender gap in the classroom and in the workforce,” Strange Lewis says. “Hosting this type of panel is a way to provide women with strategies to succeed in both spaces.”

She says the National Association of Women MBAs designs programming to propel more women into leadership roles. “When we partner with organizations like NAWMBA, we are increasing our footprint in that arena,” she says. /CH/