CHICAGO SCHOLARS HOSTS SERIES TO EMPOWER FUTURE WOMEN BUSINESS LEADERS


Chicago Scholars hosts series to empower future women business leaders 

BY TIA CAROL JONES

Chicago Scholars has partnered with Redbird Capital Partners to create a series of interviews featuring women in business, with the goal of inspiring and empowering the next generation of women business leaders.

The Chicago Women Lift and Lead was created in 2021. Elizabeth Browne, Head of Entrepreneur & Family Office Partnerships at RedBird, had the idea for the series. She wanted to figure out how to ensure greater access and opportunity for women in business, especially women of color. With the series, 40 senior women leaders from different sectors and industries in Chicago are paired with a cohort of young women, who are recent graduates entering the workforce or set to enter the workforce. The young women have the opportunity for exposure to different career paths and mentorship from the 40 senior women leaders.

Chicago Scholars was recommended to Browne as an organization that has mentorship as one of its central focus.  Chicago Scholars mission is to provide a seven-year college program to students from under resourced communities that assists students with college access to careers. Browne was impressed by what she learned about the organization and spoke with Jefferey Beckham, CEO of Chicago Scholars.

The interviews began the first week of March, with students from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business taking notes. The Kellogg Women in Business Association at Northwestern University also is a partner in the endeavor. The interviews continued through March, which is Women’s History Month.

LaShawn Holloway, Co-leader of the event and Senior Manager of Donor and Alumni Relations at Chicago Scholars, believes that career exposure and mentorship are vitally important to the success of the students in the program. Hollway believed Chicago Women Lift and Lead was a perfect fit as it would provide the students with an opportunity to connect with  prominent senior women leaders in Chicago, who they might not otherwise have access to.

“This was an easy yes, because it aligns very much to our core and our belief in ensuring that our scholars and alumni have a pathway to economic mobility and belonging in leadership development,” Holloway said.

In the first year, the mentors were women from Browne’s network. In the second year the mentors are a combination of Browne’s network and Kellogg professors, as well as women within the Chicago Scholars’ network. Since it began there has been a lot of organic growth. The diversity of mentors represents the interests of the scholars in the program.

“It was really important to us that we reflect the diversity of Chicago and the diversity of the scholars demographically, and the senior leaders, they were interviewing, as well,” Browne said.

The senior women leaders who have participated in the series have had their faith restored in seeing what the next generation of leaders could be. Participants also appreciate the multigenerational conversation between the scholars and the leaders. Scholars are grateful for access to leaders who are in the sectors they want to pursue as careers.

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