FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Forté Foundation of Leading Corporations and Business Schools Inspire Women to Leadership and Fulfillment
Los Angeles, CA (September 28, 2005) – Forté Foundation will present the “2005 Leadership Launch: The Business Case for Following Your Dreams,” an informational and networking event designed for college women, on Wednesday, September 28, 2005, between 6:00 pm – 9:10 pm, at the Marshall School of Business, Popovich Hall, 630 Childs Way, Room 300, in Los Angeles.
The Leadership Launch will present a panel of successful women who will share how they have benefited both personally and professionally from an MBA and a career in business. The event will also offer break-out sessions enabling attendees the opportunity to explore their own passions and acquire strategies for applying them to a professional career.
With a mission to inspire and direct women towards business leadership positions, Forté Foundation is the only organization that provides a national infrastructure for women to access the “real world” information, scholarship opportunities, and essential networking connections they need to succeed in business careers.
Since its founding in 2001, Forté membership has grown to 16 leading corporations, 24 top business schools in the U.S. and abroad and influential non-profits such as the Committee of 200 and The Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®).
The Leadership Launch will present senior women’s perspectives on topics that Forté knows are important to undergraduate women, including “Defining Your Career on Your Own Terms” and “How to Prepare for Life After College.”
“Our members understand that women need to align their interests, passions and career goals. That is why we want to demonstrate to undergraduate women how they can realize their goals and dreams within a business environment,” said Forté Executive Director Elissa Ellis.
The half-day program will include:
- Defining Your Career on Your Own Terms. This presentation will feature representatives from business schools and The Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®). The panel will address the thought processes and steps involved in charting one’s career, from pre-graduation planning to first jobs and beyond.
- Communicating: How to Position Yourself for Success. This workshop will stress the importance of communicating powerfully with prospective employers and colleagues, and provide participants with confidence and exercises for presenting themselves professionally.
- How to Turn Your Passion into a Career. This workshop will provide strategies for converting participants’ interests into a professional career, to include pursuing an entrepreneurial path.
- Pre-MBA: How to Prepare for Life after College. This presentation will offer practical steps that attendees can take before graduation to position themselves for an MBA Program.
The Leadership Launch series will initially travel to Austin, Texas; New York, New York, and Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“We have learned through our research that knowledge about business opportunities is only part of the formula. Women must also gain access to strong business networks to succeed,” added Edith A. Hunt, Forté Board of Directors Chair. Ms. Hunt is co-chief operating officer of the Human Capital Management Division at Goldman Sachs, responsible for global recruiting, training and diversity, and a member of the Partnership Committee.
Forté has reached thousands of women each year through its robust and diverse programs, including its
10-city Forté Forums tour, “The MBA Value Proposition;” the Forté Scholarship program with nearly $4-million in scholarships, the Forté web-site reaching women at every stage of the career continuum, and the Forté undergraduate programs, including the annual Intern Symposiums and now the Leadership Launches.
To register or obtain more information, see www.fortefoundation.org.
Forté Member companies are: Capital Group Companies; Citigroup; Credit Suisse First Boston; Dell, Inc.; Deutsche Bank; Eli Lilly; Ernst & Young; Fidelity; Goldman Sachs; IBM; JPMorgan Chase; Kraft Foods, Inc.; McKinsey & Company; MetLife, Moody’s Foundation and Morgan Stanley.
Forté Member business schools are: F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College; Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University; Columbia Business School; Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at University of Virginia; The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University; Goizueta Business School at Emory University; Harvard Business School; HEC-Paris; INSEAD; The Johnson School of Management at Cornell University; The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University; Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, Kenan-Flager Business School at the University of North Carolina; London Business School; Marshall School of Business at University of Southern California; McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas; Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Stern School of Business at New York University; Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University; Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College; University of Chicago Graduate School of Business; Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan; The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania, and Yale School of Management.
Forté Member non-profits are: The Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®) and The Committee of 200.
ABOUT FORTÉ Forté is a nonprofit organization with the goal of achieving gender parity at all levels of business. Forté works closely with business schools, corporations, and universities to ensure women have access to opportunities at every stage in their careers. Forté offers a wide variety of resources, including MBA prep, professional development, leadership education, and a diverse community of successful women. For more information, visit fortefoundation.org.
Media contacts: Michele Vana, BCW Global, michele.vana@bcw-global.com; Katie Stanfield, Forté Foundation, katies@fortefoundation.org