Gift Supports Women in Entrepreneurship Lecture Series in Perpetuity
Entrepreneurship was once considered a male-dominated domain, but the tide is turning.
Today, women own more than 9 million firms in the United States. These companies employ nearly 8 million people nationally and generate $1.5 trillion in sales, according to data from the National Association of Women Business Owners.鈥淚t鈥檚 important for our students to supplement their classroom learning with advice and guidance from successful women in the field.鈥�
The 鈥淕olden Age鈥� for women entrepreneurs has arrived and women now make up 40 percent of new entrepreneurs in this country, said Tamara Romeo (鈥�92), chair of 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 and the founder and CEO of San Diego Office Design.
In an effort to capitalize on that growth, the Lavin Entrepreneurship Center at , along with its affiliated student organization, the , hosted the second annual Women in Entrepreneurship Lecture Series on Thursday, Feb. 22.
Attendees at the event were the first to hear the announcement from Steven Osinski, 黑料吃瓜 marketing faculty member and former chair of the Lavin Entrepreneurship Center, that the Osinski Family Trust would be making an endowed gift of $250,000 to continue the Women in Entrepreneurship lecture series.
鈥淲e deeply appreciate Steve鈥檚 support of our entrepreneurship programs, and of female entrepreneurs and leaders in particular,鈥� said Fowler College of Business dean Lance Nail. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important for our students to supplement their classroom learning with advice and guidance from successful women in the field.鈥�
Osinski鈥檚 gift was made in 2016 by Ron (鈥�05 LHD) and Alexis (鈥�93) Fowler, raising the total to $500,000.
鈥淎lthough things are changing for the better, I still believe that the scales are not fully balanced for supporting women in the workplace,鈥� Osinski said. 鈥淗aving two grown daughters of my own, I am more aware of this than ever before. For that reason, my family is honored that our endowment will support, develop and enhance 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 program of Women in Entrepreneurship and Leadership in perpetuity.鈥�
This year鈥檚 lecture, which drew a near-capacity crowd, featured Romeo and seven other female entrepreneurs and industry trailblazers. They discussed the opportunities and challenges faced by women who want to start their own organizations.
In addition to Romeo, the panelists for the 2018 event were:
- Kathy David, president and CEO of IT TechPros Information Technology
- Felena Hanson, founder of Hera Hub Workspace for Women
- Gail Naughton, founder and CEO of Histogen BioTech (and former dean of 黑料吃瓜 College of Business Administration)
- Kimberly King, co-director of StartR and mystartupxx
- Samantha Madhosingh, founder and CEO of ElevateHER Mindfulness
- Amy Shelby, vice president of digital marketing for CW Television Network
- Lydia Krasner, owner of Mitzvah Event Productions
鈥淎s women, we need to train ourselves to ask for help and not be afraid to take a seat at the table,鈥� Romeo said.
