Student Org, Daniels Faculty Foster Lifelong Support for Women in Business

The Graduate Women in Business Club hosts events like “Women, Work and Wine,” offering support, advice and networking to Daniels students.

Over decades of consistent work and dedicated effort, the business world has opened its doors and knowledge centers to more women. Still, data shows that true equality is scarce among business schools. In 2024, just eight MBA programs across the country reached gender parity.

At the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, men still outnumber women. But for the seven members of the College’s Women in Business (WiB) chapter, improving the statistics is all about the people behind the numbers.

“It’s so important to create a space where women can come together and connect, get tips, tricks in different industries, and really have a safe space to grow in their professional careers,” said Claire Westergren, an MBA student who is a member of the WiB board.

Westergren works alongside fellow MBA students Lexi Haskins, Courtney Howell, Gabie Bueschel and Lillie Klemmer, among others, to thoughtfully create a space that not only supports the women already enrolled in the program but continues opening doors for future cohorts.

Each quarter, the WiB board hosts at least one large event designed to support women studying business at Daniels. Over the last year, for example, the group hosted a panel discussion with women in the outdoor industry, brought together female entrepreneurs to share their experiences and hosted a Galentine’s gathering on empowerment.

Its annual flagship networking event, which drew nearly 100 attendees this year, is called Women, Work and Wine. This year, its theme was work-life balance, something that can be particularly difficult for women in the workforce. Running the event not only gave the board members the opportunity to step into a leadership role, organize a large-scale event, market it and network with some of the top women in business, but it also taught them valuable lessons they will carry throughout their careers.

One of the key messages they heard from the speakers is that it’s possible to do it all—be a parent, a businessowner, a friend and a mentor—while still giving yourself and others grace along the way.

Support from Daniels Faculty

Attendees and WiB board members hear critical perspectives like these at their events, but also in the classroom through the voices of supportive professors, including Jenny Dobmeier, executive director of the Executive MBA program and teaching assistant professor in the Department of Marketing, and Aimee Hamilton, associate professor in the Department of Management.

While the two professors aren’t official members of the WiB team, they are staunch supporters of each board member and provide mentorship in the classroom and beyond.

“These are two female professors who really stand out as women that we can look up to and learn a lot from, and that we can relate to as woman in business,” said Bueschel.

Klemmer agreed: “They go above and beyond. They’re true role models for how I hope to be, not only as a woman in business, but as a mother, a friend, a colleague.”

As mentors to these young women, Dobmeier and Hamilton get to pass down the hard-fought knowledge they’ve gained while continuing to grow as leaders themselves. That’s because they are always learning from the women they mentor, too.

Dobmeier said that working alongside these women has brought her back to the days when she was first entering her field, seeking women she could look up to and grow alongside. She hopes that the people she mentors pass down their own knowledge to those that come after them.

“Women are incredibly talented at achieving better business outcomes, because we see a challenge through so many different lenses,” she said. Our emotional intelligence and strong communication skills create unique strength in leadership roles. I am consistently inspired by the younger generation of women who will continue to create change in the business world.”

Likewise, Hamilton is grateful for the chance to help other women find themselves and their strengths through leadership and development.

“It has really ranged from very specific and practical advice about next steps career-wise to more general advice about ways to bring your authentic self to how you show up as a leader,” she explained. “Both are important, but I think giving young women the confidence to be themselves in a world where leadership roles are often still defined by traditional hierarchical views is crucial for moving business forward with greater inclusion and belonging.”

In an environment that can often breed a competitive spirit, the women of the WiB board are instead coming together, guided by the mindsets of their mentors. They work together, support each other and foster partnerships they hope will fuel them for the rest of their lives, both professionally and personally.

“One thing I’ve learned from business school is that your network is everything, and I just have that faith that these women will show up for each other,” Haskins said.

Bueschel said that having these relationships and trust in each other allows women in business to push themselves, succeed, test the waters, try something new and grow, knowing that there are others there to lift them up.

“To have this tight-knit bond with women in our cohort is really helpful,” she said. “Navigating this program, being a woman in the male-dominated business world, and being able to come to each other for advice, lean on each other, have that support and just feel like you can relate to the people around you in a classroom does wonders for your confidence and for feeling capable and for feeling like you do belong.”

Advice for the next generation of women in business