Georgetown University Women’s Leadership Initiative
Inspiring, Developing, And Connecting Business Leaders
guwli.georgetown.edu
Connecting Generations of Women “ Educating principled leaders is core to our mission at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. The Georgetown University Women’s Leadership Initiative extends our work in this area by providing students opportunities to enhance their leadership skills through research, guest speakers, and mentors so that they graduate poised to impact both business and society.” –David Thomas, Dean and William R. Berkley Chair, McDonough School of Business
S tude n ts “ Practicing the lessons I’ve learned from GUWLI’s research opportunities, workshops, and mentors has heightened my confidence in my leadership capabilities. GUWLI has equipped me to be a conscientious and successful business leader.” –Georgina Anton (MBA ’13)
Alum n i “ Cathy Tinsley has done a remarkable job establishing and growing GUWLI, and I am proud to have been involved from its early days. It is critical to develop young women as leaders and provide them with a network of other women to help them navigate and advance their careers. I wish I had the benefit of GUWLI when I was a student at Georgetown.” –Ann Sarnoff (B ’83), COO, BBC Worldwide America
Alum n i “ Both as a student and now as an alumna, GUWLI has provided a wonderful forum to connect with, learn from, and be inspired by fantastic female leaders.” –Jenny Bradley Helfin (B ’03, MBA ’10), Management Consulting Manager, Accenture
“ Through GUWLI, I was introduced to women who have led the life I want to lead, and I was exposed to research and best practices that I can use to make my own way. It was invaluable to my MBA experience.” –Caroline Mayhew Gardner (MBA ’12, Evening Program), Senior Consultant, Booz Allen Hamilton
“ GUWLI provides the research, skill building, and networking opportunities young female leaders need to advance. When asked to participate and help the next generation, the decision is easy…because the truth is that I always learn something myself.” –Suzanne Clarke (EMBA ’03), CEO, Potomac Research Group
F a cult y “ Through GUWLI, I see our students learning to lead in ways that are sensitive to gender, authentic to themselves, and ultimately so effective that gender remains central to their identities without being focal for their leadership. Those students who get involved with GUWLI already have a record of great accomplishments and a commitment to excel; by participating in GUWLI’s activities, they deepen that commitment, expand their reach, and prepare themselves to lead on a global stage.” –Michael Boyer O’Leary, Professor of the Practice, McDonough School of Business
ABOUT US In 2002 and 2003, I was asked to represent Georgetown at two different conferences on women’s advancement. One focused on female rising stars pursuing their pathways toward business leadership, and the other was about women becoming political leaders. Although I was not particularly focused on gender issues at the time, I became inspired by the intelligent and charismatic women at these conferences. We openly explored gender dynamics and the skills, abilities, and networks necessary for women’s advancement. The Georgetown University Women’s Leadership Initiative (GUWLI) was thus founded as a way of elevating and continuing this dialogue. We study issues of gender in the workplace with scientific rigor; we use this knowledge as a basis for skill building, and we offer networking opportunities to foster critical relationships. GUWLI develops and advances women leaders by providing opportunities for: 1. Knowledge creation around gender dynamics through rigorous research; 2. Knowledge dissemination and skill building for the women leaders of today and tomorrow through workshops and panels; and 3. Relationship building through conferences and mentoring programs. Located in one of the world’s most dynamic cities, Georgetown University offers unparalleled access to global executives in business, government, and non-governmental organizations. GUWLI provides a link between these world-class leaders and students to learn, collaborate, and grow in influence.
— Catherine H. Tinsley, Ph.D., Executive Director Professor of Management
Pushing the Frontiers of Knowledge Many organizations have strong women’s groups, but GUWLI is especially dedicated to ensuring that all of its actions have a foundation grounded in rigorous research. This ensures that all GUWLI advancement activities and messages have an empirical, rather than strictly ideological, basis. GUWLI’s research is aimed at creating practical knowledge to promote women’s advancement in the workplace, in politics, and across the broader social-cultural landscape. The following are both working papers and articles that already have been peer-reviewed and published in leading management, law, and public policy journals:
• “Women in Leadership: A Look at Companies in the S&P MidCap 400 Index” • “Deterministic Views of Gender Constrain Attitudes Toward Personal and Spousal Wage Expectations” • “Exploring Why Advocacy Moderates Backlash Against Assertive Female Negotiators”
• “How Gender and Status Moderate Negotiation Success” • “‘Miss’ Negotiation: Implications for Women Leaders of Today and Tomorrow” • “Leadership and Lawyering: Lessons From the 2008 Elections” • “Women’s Satisfaction and Men’s Career Advancement” • “Women at the Bargaining Table: Pitfalls and Prospects”
Connecting Business Leaders GUWLI’s leadership panels and workshops provide opportunities for participants to learn necessary skills for their own advancement, such as conflict management, leadership, and self-presentation. Past speakers have included: • Dee Dee Myers, former White House Press Secretary; • Beth Brooke, Global Vice Chair – Public Policy, Ernst & Young; • Carolyn Buck Luce, former Senior Partner, Ernst & Young; • Barbara Krumsiek, President and CEO, Calvert Investments; • Ann Sarnoff, COO, BBC America; • Michelle Rhee, former Chancellor, DC Public Schools; • Jane Friedman, former President and CEO, HarperCollins Publishers; and • Catherine Kinney, former President and Co-COO, New York Stock Exchange.
GUWLI’s robust networks within Washington, D.C., have facilitated event partnerships such as the following: Women on Wall Street Co-sponsored by Georgetown University’s chapter of the Financial Management Association, the annual Women on Wall Street event exposes both undergraduate and graduate students to the current voice of women on Wall Street. The women represent a variety of ages, experience, and companies, and they generously share their stories of triumphs and tribulations as they have negotiated business careers. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Summit The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its Center for Women in Business partner with Georgetown University to analyze trends in women in business. To date, this research has focused on women’s participation in the top management ranks of the 1,500 publicly traded companies featured in the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) index. Washington Women’s Weekly Washington Women’s Weekly (WWW) builds alliances among women through news, knowledge, and networking events. By partnering with WWW, GUWLI is able to extend our reach beyond the Georgetown Hilltop to connect to highly accomplished women who are leading dynamic organizations throughout the greater Washington, D.C., area.
Developing Talent for Tomorrow Georgetown was founded more than 200 years ago to educate a new generation of leaders for a new nation. Today, Georgetown continues in that founding tradition, with GUWLI at the heart of its initiatives to develop the knowledge and the people necessary to solve the world’s most challenging problems. Through its research, workshops, and networking opportunities, GUWLI is generating insights, teaching skills, and facilitating interactions to ensure that Georgetown’s women can lead effectively. Female students comprise more than one third of the MBA and half of the undergraduate business student body at Georgetown. The Georgetown University Women’s Leadership Initiative educates students on the findings of its research projects to enable them to leverage opportunities they encounter throughout their careers. In addition to this educational mission, GUWLI strives to provide the skill building that will enable lifelong advancement. While on campus, women connect through conferences, speaker events, mentor lunches, and workshops that are hosted by both GUWLI and the MBA student club, Georgetown Graduate Women in Business (GWiB). GUWLI partners with GWiB to establish mentorship, career development, networking, and leadership development to empower women by arming them with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.
Learn more For more information about Georgetown University Women’s Leadership Initiative, please contact: Georgetown University Women’s Leadership Initiative McDonough School of Business Rafik B. Hariri Building 37th and O Streets, NW Washington, DC 20057 Catherine H. Tinsley, Ph.D. Executive Director guwli@georgetown.edu