Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the
2017 Women of Isenberg Conference, organized by the
Isenberg Women in Business Society at the Isenberg School of Management. The conference took place at the Campus Center of UMass Amherst. The conference is now an annual conference, with
the inaugural one taking place in 2014. I had the pleasure of being a
panelist at the second conference in 2015.
As we registered for the conference and picked up our elegant badges, we were greeted by a sign, and by members of the conference organizing committee.
The conference with about 350 attendees, mostly women, and a few very welcome males, including my Finance colleague, Professor Nikos Artavanis, was a huge success.
I was very much looking forward to the conference, since I had nominated two of my former Operations and Information Management students, now alumna, Johanna Zuber and Zheng Ding, as panelists, and they were selected. Johanna spoke on the Networking panel and Zheng on the Mentoring panel. Johanna and Zheng had been in my Logistics and Transportation class at the Isenberg School of Management and, after working in big companies, are now both at startups in NYC.
The organization of the conference was truly outstanding and the Isenberg Women in Business Society is an undergraduate student club so kudos to the officers, its members, and to all the volunteers for a great day.
There were keynote talks, multiple panels, and a lunch that was exquisite. I had the salmon, salad, mushroom risotto, with roasted veggies (beets, squash). It was served efficiently buffet style and then we brought our food back to the large room to listen to a very interesting panel on career challenges with four professional females from Pratt and Whitney. One, who works on global supply chains, had arrived from Poland at 2AM!
The full list of keynoters, panels, speakers and panel members, can be accessed here.
It was a terrific time to catch up with alumnae and some staff plus faculty.
I very much enjoyed all the panels that I attended and the discussions along with the Q&A. There was a great deal of energy and style present and support for one another at this special conference.
Plus, the treats during the afternoon coffee break were simply exquisite. I thought I was back in Paris.
The advice offered throughout the day will, I am sure, benefit all attendees, as well as the new acquaintances made. The nice canvas bag with amenities inside is a nice memento of a very rewarding day.
Congrats to Isenberg Women in Business for a Fabulous Conference!
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