Quinnipiac University

School of Business M&T Bank Center for Women and Business

The M&T Bank Center for Women and Business is dedicated to bringing together a community of women and their allies who are focused on achieving their professional goals and sharing their wisdom and experiences with each other through skill-building workshops, motivational events and networking opportunities.

What We Do

The center brings together women at all stages of work and life, and with varied backgrounds to learn from and support each other. In recent months, the center has offered virtual events focused on topics such as hope, resilience and healing during adversity. These events focused on ways to increase skills, improve self-awareness and build resilience while preparing for the future. As the pandemic stretched into the fall semester, the center conducted events centered on mindfulness, networking and inclusion.

Read our Spring 2024 Newsletter

Read our Fall 2023 Newsletter

Mission

To provide opportunities for women to achieve their professional goals as well as to build a community focused on achieving those goals consistent with their personal values. This community of women and their allies is committed to lifelong learning, is eager to share, and includes the external community, students, alumni, faculty and staff. Our center is devoted to preparing our community for enlightened and engaged citizenship.

Vision

The center, as part of a thriving, 3-campus university, provides programs designed to educate and inspire women focused on achieving their personal and professional best through lifelong learning. The center also facilitates connections and thereby builds and develops an engaged community, where wisdom and experience are shared with each other to educate, inspire and foster growth.

Target Audience

Ambitious women and their allies, coming together to engage in learning to empower themselves and others.

Value Proposition

The center is part of a dynamic and growing university with a commitment to academic excellence and to building a strong sense of community enlightenment and engagement. It serves the needs of women professionals by providing opportunities for lifelong learning, professional development and community-building and citizenship.

Join us for an upcoming panel discussion

Cultural shift in understanding work life balance: Women Returning to the Workforce and Lead Dads

Wednesday, March 27, 1 - 2:30 p.m. in the Mount Carmel Auditorium CCE 101

The panel discussion will focus on benefits of organizational cultures that focus on work life balance with insights and research findings that focus on both women and men in organizations that are looking to find the balance between performance at work while being committed to their families and personal life.

Register to Attend

 

Speakers:

Yvonne Alston | Chief Culture Architect and Founder of Indelible Impressions Consulting, LLC

Yvonne is a sought-after speaker who consults in workplace change to impact inclusive cultures. Indelible Impressions was created to provide strategic, data-backed DEI+B strategies to effectively make a positive, lasting impression for the good of organizations, individuals and society. The company guides those seeking to make DEI+B a critical part of their organization's fabric - moving DEI+B from something they do, to who they are. This includes diminishing professional and personal disenfranchisement of people who are often underrepresented and marginalized.

Learn more about Yvonne

Headshot of Yvonne Alston
Headshot of Yvonne Alston

Candace Freedenberg | Founder of Untapped Potential

Untapped Potential Inc., an award-winning social enterprise in Hartford, CT, has been advancing businesses and reigniting careers to impact gender equality for more than seven years. Using a programmatic approach that includes mentorship and upskilling, Untapped Potential focuses on connecting growth industries with experienced hires. These candidates have a gap in their careers due to caregiving and have prepared to pivot and return to work or are seeking flexibility to manage family responsibilities. The company’s trademark Flexreturn® Services increase the pipeline of women in senior roles and grow gender equality in STEM opportunities.

Learn more about Candace

Headshot of Candace Freedenberg
Headshot of Candace Freedenberg

Paul Sullivan | Founder of Company of Dads and Former NYT Columnist

Company of Dads unites Lead Dads to give them a forum and an outlet they have lacked until now. A lead dad is a dad who is fully engaged in raising his children, supporting his spouse or partner and working to keep the house together. More often than not, he has a more flexible work schedule than his spouse or partner. He is comfortable in his own skin. It’s a great role to have. But that’s not always the same as being comfortable telling his friends the extent of what a Lead Dad does at home. And perhaps because of that, he finds himself isolated at times – from other dads and certainly from stay-at-home moms.

Learn more about Paul

Headshot of Paul Sullivan
Headshot of Paul Sullivan

Ruth Freeman | Founder and President of Peace at Home Parenting Solutions

Ruth is a powerful speaker and LCSW who understands the problems dual-responsibilities professionals face.  Ruth's organization consults and offers services for Corporations to ensure parents are at their best performance. She has both an understanding of what business leaders are seeing as well as the needs most parents seek in order to be successful at work. 

Learn more about Ruth

Headshot of Ruth Freeman
Headshot of Ruth Freeman

Sip and Shop Pop-Up Shop

A business owner smiles at a table selling books.

Third annual Sip & Shop celebrates small business owners of color during Black History Month

A small business festival featuring food, drink, pumped-up music and a spirited crowd hallmarked the third annual Sip & Shop pop-up event at Quinnipiac.

We celebrated Black History Month and supported small businesses owned by people of color during the third annual Sip and Shop Pop-Up event. This free, family-friendly shopping opportunity featured Valentine's Day gifts, live music, DJs, food, performing artists and more.

Read the article on Quinnipiac Today

Watch the inverview with Fox 61

Meet Our Award Winners

Meet the 2022 Women and Ally of Influence Award winners and learn more about the difference they are making for women in business at Quinnipiac and beyond.

Women and Ally of Influence Awards

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the M&T Bank Center for Women & Business honored five women and allies across Quinnipiac for their impact and influence on students and our campus community. Out of the nominees, one full-time faculty, one part-time faculty, one staff member, one student and one ally were chosen and honored on social media.

2023 Women and Ally of Influence

  • Student: Daisy Zapata

  • Staff: Kristen Casamento Martin

  • PT Faculty: Danielle Beerli

  • FT Faculty: Molly Yanity

  • Ally: Kizzi Belfon

2022 Women and Ally of Influence

  • Student: Gabriella Collelo

  • Staff: Rita Rodriguez

  • PT Faculty: Virginia Kulig

  • FT Faculty: Kimberly DiGiovanni

Women of Color Professional Development Series

Among the most significant and impactful series of events we've ever hosted, the M&T Bank Center for Women and Business Women of Color Professional Development Series aimed to create a safe and comfortable environment for women of color to engage in professional development in affinity together.

The first event, a virtual salary negotiations training workshop, was presented in partnership with the Department of Cultural & Global Engagement with support from the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Center and the Collaborative for Interdisciplinary/Integrative Studies.

The second event, a virtual authenticity in the workplace workshop, invited attendees to explore, reflect and discuss the three selves of the authenticity principle. The workshop was hosted alongside the Department of Cultural & Global Engagement.

The series concluded with its third and final event, a webinar on leadership with Dr. Anne Taylor. This event was presented in collaboration with the Association of Women in Surgery, the American Medical Women’s Association, the Inclusion and Diversity Council, the Student National Medical Association and the Latino Medical Student Association.

Read more about the M&T Bank Center for Women and Business Women of Color Professional Development Series and explore additional events we've hosted below.

Upcoming Events

A speaker talks with a student after a lecture

Cultural shift in understanding work life balance: Women Returning to the Workforce and Lead Dads

March 27, 2024

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM (ET)

Communications, Computing, and Engineering CCE 101 Mt. Carmel Auditorium

Read More

Past Events and Our Community in Action

The M&T Bank Center for Women and Business, along with partners from the community, regularly host events that guide women to further their careers, improve personally and professionally and hear from leaders in the industry about their journeys and experiences. Below is a sampling of our most recent events.

  • AI and the Future of Work: During this panel discussion, experts from the fields of marketing, insurance, consulting, career development, creative arts and artificial intelligence explored how emerging technologies are reshaping the landscape and creating new career opportunities. This discussion gave insights into the evolving skills demand in the job market, the role of continuous learning and how to adapt to the changes.
    Read More about the Panel Discussion

  • Salary Negotiation Workshops: These free virtual training sessions are designed for students and professionals of all ages and career stages.
    Watch WORK Smart: Best Practices Virtual Training for Professionals

  • Sip and Shop: These events highlight small businesses owned and operated by Women of Color in the QU and Greater New Haven community. All are welcome to shop, network and socialize.

  • Student Leaders Network with Advisory Council Members: During these networking events, undergraduate students capitalize on the opportunity to speak with professionals, faculty and staff and ask career-centric questions.

  • Coffee Chats: During these casual meetings, attendees discuss ideas, network with other professionals and share resources that benefit themselves and their organizations.

  • Financial Know-How: A Workshop for Your Personal and Business Success with Tracey San Angelo of North Business Banking and Amanda Moore and Michael Hawes of M&T Bank.
    Watch Financial Literacy for Students
    Watch Financial Know-How for Small Business Owners

  • Social Media Marketing Workshop for Women Entrepreneurs: This workshop introduced attendees to the strategies behind reaching social goals and objectives on social media and provided helpful resources.
    Watch the Social Media Marketing Workshop

  • Brunch & Write: Use this time for writing, work or even self-care — whatever you want to give focused attention to.

  • Talking to Your Doctor: Become a Successful Patient: Learn simple, smart healthcare communication to talk with your doctors to maximize the time of your medical visits.

  • Mindfulness Session on the Quad: Enjoy an opportunity to destress, emphasize personal well-being and find peace and stability within yourself.

  • Authenticity in the Workplace Workshop: Explore, reflect and discuss the three selves of the authenticity principle during this interactive workshop for students and professionals who self-identify as women of color.

  • New Minds Open Forum: Share your experiences as women/womxn on campus and reflect on the ways in which being a woman, in all of their/our expressions, occurs at Quinnipiac and what those experiences are like.

  • Leadership with Dr. Anne Taylor: Dr. Taylor shared insights into the transition from entering a field of study to becoming an accomplished professional as she continues to forge a path for women of color who aspire to create their own legacy.
    Watch the webinar

  • Women in Technology Panel: The panel highlighted women in technology and focused on their career paths, struggles and successes.

  • Fireside Chat: Lauren Garrett, the newly-elected mayor of Hamden, Judy Olian, President of Quinnipiac University, and Holly Raider, dean of the School of Business, discussed evolving leadership challenges and opportunities.
    Read the recap

  • Research Progress Presentation on Occupational Therapy Role in Chronic Disease Health Management and Maintenance with Tracy Van Oss, a clinical professor of Occupational Therapy at Quinnipiac.

  • Supporting Women in Times of Crisis and Calm: Simone Morris '90 and Djuana Beamon discussed the year in review and shared practical insights for better supporting women in the workplace in 2021 and beyond.
    Watch the Supporting Women presentation

  • Strategies to Maximize Your Impact at Work with Meredith Reuben, CEO of EBP Supply Solutions.
    Watch Strategies to Maximize Your Impact

  • Growing Younger...with Age: Ania Jakubowski shared experiences from over 25 years of working across developed and emerging markets in Europe, North America and Africa.
    Watch Growing Younger...With Age

  • Women Entrepreneurship Week Panel Discussion with female student entrepreneurs.
    Watch the Panel Discussion with Female Student Entrepreneurs

  • Women in Sports: Life Post College Athletics: Four former Quinnipiac student-athletes described their journeys after college, how sports have impacted their professional careers, and how the transition has influenced where they are now.
    Watch the Women in Sports Panel

  • After Hours Community Building: The Center is dedicated to creating and growing a community of women and their allies. These events are a relationship-building experience held in a relaxed setting to discuss and share ideas that benefit you and your organization through added contacts and resources.

  • Meet and Greet: The Center hosts networking events for our School of Business student leaders to meet our Advisory Council, Steering Committee, and Faculty Fellows.

Leadership Team

Advisory Council and Steering Committee Members

  • Djuana Beamon, Chief Diversity & Social Responsibility Officer at Empower

  • Lauren Castagnola, Director of Communications at the University of New Haven

  • Nancy Dudchik, President, Hamden Chamber of Commerce

  • Denise Fiore, Former Chief Operating Officer of Lawrence and Memorial Hospital, Senior Vice President of L+M Healthcare and Senior Vice President for Yale New Haven Health (Retired)

  • Isaiah Lee, Associate, King & Spalding

  • Karmela Malone, Senior Vice President, Claim Solutions, The Hartford

  • Henry Rondon, Assistant Executive Director of Unified Sports and Student Activities for the Connecticut Association of Schools - Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference

  • Amy Rosen, Former Regional Development Officer, Development & Alumni Affairs (Retired)

  • Sal Strazza, Vice President, HR Business Partner, Goldman Sachs

  • Kristy Berner, M&T Bank, Deputy General Counsel

  • Danisha Collins, Administrative Assistant, Global Public Health and Service Learning

  • Maura Cox, Assistant Director of Advancement Services for Gift Administration, Office of Development and Alumni Affairs

  • Mohammad Elahee, Professor of International Business

  • Stefano Fasulo, Associate Director of Graduate Student Affairs

  • Alyssa Hyatt, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Business and Administration

  • Patricia Kelly, Senior Instructor of Management

  • Maja Laska, Grants Accountant, MBA ‘17

  • Erin Sabato, Director of Global Learning, Department of Cultural and Global Engagement

  • Jen Sacco, Professor of Political Science and Women’s & Gender Studies

  • Becky Spalthoff, Senior Director, Integrated Marketing Communications

2022–2023 Year in Review

Our School of Business M&T Bank Center for Women and Business completed another productive year with initiatives that had a measurable impact on the various people and communities they serve, despite the uncertainty and heaviness of the pandemic. Consistent with their missions, each provided exciting, engaging and provocative activities and opportunities for students, faculty, alumni and friends of Quinnipiac University.

View the Center for Women in Business Report (PDF)

Learn More

Centers and Institutes at Quinnipiac

We believe education doesn’t begin and end inside the classroom. We live in an increasingly diverse and complex world that demands the knowledge, collaboration and empathy required to deliver meaningful impact. 

Whether it’s turning ideas into viable business applications or digging through human history by analyzing ancient artifacts, each of our centers and institutes pairs our students and faculty to transform academic theory into real-world solutions.

Academics

Our broad liberal arts core complements deep expertise across more than 100 degree programs to provide an education that equips you for an extraordinary career. Whether you are in high school and ready to pursue your undergraduate degree, currently in the workforce and looking to advance your career through one of our graduate programs or have ambitions of becoming a lawyer or doctor, we have the schools, programs and faculty that will help unlock your potential.

Contact the School of Business

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