Wharton Journal

WWIB Specific

WWIB is a multi-faceted organization, focused both on professional development and personal enrichment. What outcomes do you seek to recognize success?

Our goal is to provide Wharton women with an outlet to accomplish their short and long-term goals. We believe that the combination of Wharton’s excellent business training and WWIB’s rich networking platform positions women at the frontier. A measure of success for us would be for Wharton women to reflect on their experience at Wharton and remember WWIB as a key component that allowed them to achieve their personal and professional goals. We also hope that Wharton women continue to build their network and incorporate Wharton into that network. Finally, we want Wharton women to feel empowered to continue their commitment, perseverance, and integrity in all aspects of their lives.

Many folks feeling that an organization geared to a very specific subgroup at Wharton is either unfair or inappropriate. What are your thoughts on this matter?

There are many groups at Wharton that cater to a specific interest or support commonalities between people, whether it be race, ethnicity, or a personal/career interest. We don’t see WWIB as any different. WWIB is aligned with this mission of cultivating a community in which women feel comfortable airing personal and business issues, find resources to address these issues and contribute back to the community by advising others. We do recognize that most clubs welcome diversity and general support. In fact, the mission of these clubs is often to share and celebrate their culture with others. So why does the “gender” difference makes WWIB different. We constantly debate this issue, and we believe that WWIB is different from other clubs based on commonalities. This year, however, we want to open up certain WWIB activities to men, including community service related events like the Breast Cancer Run, as well as some work-life balance seminars so men can better understand and support issues facing working women.

Would you be open to having a male Wharton student serve on the board of WWIB?

WWIB’s goal is to provide a network for Wharton women that addresses all aspects of a working woman’s life, and we believe that a woman is best positioned to lead that effort, based simply on experience alone. It’s no different than our professional clubs being led by those with a background in the field. At this time, we don’t think having a man on the board of WWIB will serve the best interests of the club.

We recognize that WWIB has traditionally not done a good job of bringing in supporters to participate in our events, including our male classmates and partners, which is a goal of ours this year. We are going to open up some WWIB activities to men, including the Breast Cancer Run, some socials, and some work-life balance seminars so men can better understand and support issues facing working women.

What is the greatest challenge that WWIB has faced this year?

Fortunately, we do not have any new challenges compared to previous years. A recurring responsibility for us is to reaffirm that WWIB is more than a social organization. Our primary focus areas include outreach activities that encourage more women to pursue an MBA, liaising with Wharton Alumni groups around the globe, planning career-focused events throughout the year, planning the annual WWIB conference that attracts top female leaders across industries, and many other activities to engage us through sports, community service and networking. A new challenge for us this year is the incorporation of our male counterparts in some of our club activities. Since this is the first year we are attempting this interaction, we will certainly be challenged in finding the right balance.

What role do Wharton’s Admissions Committee and other groups play to attract talented women and what additional measures do you feel can be taken to increase the presence of women across business schools?

The Admissions Committee has a responsibility to admit the best individuals from its applicant pool. In no way should that responsibility be altered to balance the ratio between male and female students here at Wharton. Otherwise, we could potentially compromise the merit-based learning environment we came here for. WWIB’s role is to sponsor programs, such as Explore Wharton, that encourage more women to apply to Wharton and help them navigate the admissions process. We have admissions related programs such as the Email Buddy Program that pairs up prospective female students with current female Wharton students who can answer questions regarding Wharton via email. In the past, we have also had coffee chats during which prospective female students meet current female Wharton students in various cities around the world to learn more about Wharton and business school in general.

We have also been working with Financial Aid and Admissions to create an annual WWIB Scholarship. We would like to encourage and reward incoming Wharton women in their dedication to women's causes. The amount has yet to be decided, but we are excited about this new initiative.

In addition to supporting female students at Wharton, what partnerships/synergies (with other organizations here) are being explored by WWIB to build a more integrated community serving women at Wharton?

WIVP: We recently partnered with WIVP as a sponsor and pledged funds from WWIB to sponsor four female or male candidates, on WIVP projects. We required that the assignments for these individuals be dedicated solely to women related issues, whether continuing education, micro-lending, family planning, etc.

Admissions: We are working with Financial Aid and Admissions to create an annual WWIB Scholarship. We want to encourage and reward incoming Wharton women in their dedication to women's causes. We are still debating the amount, but are really excited about this initiative.

Entrepreneurship Club: We are working with the Entrepreneurship conference to see how we can support their vision to highlight successful female entrepreneurs, who we hope will serve as a role model and inspiration to the entrepreneurial types among us. We also look forward to supporting an all-female team, or a female-led team in the business plan competition. Many females are natural entrepreneurs. Some women discover success through small businesses operated out of their home, but an MBA becomes important for sustainability to understanding the numerous aspects of running a business from marketing to competition. We hope to establish initiatives that broaden the understanding of what an MBA can provide.

Professional Clubs: There are certain professions that women find difficult to navigate, and/or want to learn more about from a work/life balance perspective. We hope to partner with various professional clubs including Finance, Private Equity and Investment Management to make sure the women at Wharton have all their questions answered and are able to make an informed decision about which career path to pursue

Female Faculty: We’ll be reaching out to female faculty at Wharton and encouraging them to become more involved in our WWIB events. We feel there is currently a large disconnect from this amazing group of women which we have at our fingertips, and want to bridge the gap in and outside of the classroom. That is a key way we want to integrate the female community at Wharton. It has to start inside Huntsman Hall.

GENERAL

What motivated you to lead WWIB? What motivates you on a daily basis?

We collectively wanted to be in a position to create a significant value for the women at and beyond Wharton. We hope to continue on the very successful path that we have inherited from our predecessors. WWIB has raised the bar consistently every year for decades and has served women at Wharton. This year, we want to do even more. <Rahim: Please see the initiatives listed above in WWIB Specific #6>

What specific (leadership) skills do you hope to acquire during your term?

We want to learn about factors that motivate people and identify a leadership style that is both effective and adaptable to different scenarios. Dynamics of people require an ability to alter leadership and communication style based on a given audience. WWIB leadership offers a perfect path for these developmental goals as it requires us to be responsible and accountable to many stakeholders with whom we interact regularly. We proactively manage the needs of our members corporate sponsors, companies recruiting women, local businesses, the MBA Program Office, the Admissions Office, facility representatives, technology providers, etc.

How do you transfer the leadership responsibilities and learnings you will gain from WWIB to a real world scenario?

We thrive to stand by the same success metrics mentioned earlier <see WWIB Specific #1> . We aim to lead through example and by conducting our responsibilities in life with consistent commitment, perseverance, and integrity. As we have done so in WWIB, each of the co-presidents will continue to take it upon herself to build communities that share a common and noble purpose as she moves along with her respective career and throughout life. The three of us are unique in our own individual way and we are confident that the great relationship and friendship that we have found here at Wharton Women In Business will continue for years to come and will serve as a solid foundation and reflection point from which we grow as individuals, community leaders, and organizational operators.

What is your vision for WWIB?

We hope that WWIB continues to attract, coach, admit, and retain outstanding women from around the world. We envision success for women and men alike. Success is much sweeter if accomplished side by side whether as partners at work or man and wife at home.