Women in Business Club empowers leaders in School of Management and beyond

Imagine a typical boardroom: the broad expanse of a shining table, surrounded by the serious faces of corporate decision-makers.

Those decision-makers are largely male. While women make up nearly 47% of the nation’s workforce, they comprise slightly over a third of managers, according to research statistics compiled by the nonprofit Catalyst.

Founded in 2011 by then-undergraduate Tiffany Choi ’14, Binghamton University’s Women in Business Club seeks to level the playing field by providing a supportive environment for women, as well as opportunities for networking and professional development.

“We’re creating an environment where you can be successful. Ultimately, our impact is creating really strong women who are part of the business world,” explains Lillian Marks, a senior business administration major who is the club’s president for the 2020-21 school year.

The club draws around 75 members, and not just from the School of Management (SOM); Harpur College — home to the Economics Department — is also well-represented.

It’s a highly active group, with events scheduled once or twice a week — and up to 10 for Career Week, which is the busiest time of the year. Workshops teach the basics of professionalism, such as how to dress for “business casual.” Companies such as Goldman Sachs, KPMG International and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) send recruiters, often alumnae themselves, to meet with the club and network.

“There are opportunities to meet one another and build your professional skills,” says Tatiana Rivera, a senior business administration major and the club’s president for 2019-20. “You can meet the right people to get internships and job offers.”

There are purely social get-togethers, too: making gingerbread, painting pumpkins, and yoga. A mentorship program connects underclasswomen with their junior and senior counterparts, some of whom remain connected after graduation. The club also co-hosts many SOM events, including the Women’s Leadership Panel every winter, which features up to a half-dozen women from different companies.

Their scheduled events for the 2019-20 year were cut short due to the pandemic, but the club has developed plans for virtual events for the fall. This wouldn’t be the first time; the club has hosted virtual networking events with recruiters from PwC and Goldman Sachs in previous semesters when logistics ruled out face-to-face visits.

The connections, skills and spirit of mutual support the club fosters have real-life impact on its members. For Marks, Women in Business led to her first internship with PwC, which in turn led to her current internship in management consulting. She also recommended Rivera for a PwC internship — which she landed.

Rivera joined in her freshman year, ran for a position during her second semester and made it the focus of her extracurricular experience. She initially changed her mind several times when it came to majors, and speaking to upperclasswomen in the club about their experiences and fields helped her find her path.

“I’ve had a network of so many resources since I joined,” she says. “We’re just all here for each other.”

Promoting female success isn’t just a benefit for the graduates themselves; diversification lies at the core of any successful enterprise — including the workforce. Individuals of different backgrounds, experiences and mindsets, whether in terms of gender, age, race, ethnicity, or state or country of origin, bring new ideas to the table and open new doors.

“You’re bringing different backgrounds and different mindsets. It’s what successful companies are built upon,” Rivera says.

The club’s focus on building leadership skills, developing professional networks with each other, alumni and faculty, and their service orientation places its members in an excellent position to be successful in their careers, notes School of Management Associate Dean and Professor Shelley Dionne. Members have made a difference in SOM as well, with several taking leadership roles in other SOM and University clubs.

It’s more than a club; it’s a community centered on creating an environment that is supportive of women and drawing more into business fields, Marks and Rivera conclude.

“Women in Business is an impressive organization,” Dionne says. “And with a glass ceiling still in place, I’m certain these are the women to smash through.”