High on NAWBO’s list of priorities is preparing the women entrepreneurs it serves for board service, and a new partnership between NAWBO and UCLA is fast making it a reality.
NAWBO is partnering with UCLA to provide NAWBO members access to the UCLA Anderson Corporate Governance Program and Women’s Leadership Institute at reduced rates.
“We are proud to announce a partnership with UCLA that will provide our members access to two of the University’s excellent programs at a discounted rate,” says Loreen Gilbert, National Chair of the NAWBO Institute for Entrepreneurial Development. “The NAWBO Institute is committed to helping women business owners build and scale their businesses. Higher education is a key component to help them increase their confidence, grow their businesses and be considered for potential opportunities.
At NAWBO’s 2018 NAWBO Academy for Public Service, attendees learned about the need for increased diversity on all boards, including corporate, government and nonprofit, as well as various ways they can prepare themselves for each opportunity. NAWBO’s partnership with UCLA will help women business owners get the certification they need to be considered for board positions.
Donna Sharp, Associate Dean of UCLA Anderson Executive Education, stresses the importance of executive development programs: “Our programs are a great place for women business leaders to acquire the tools, perspectives and networks required for ongoing growth for their firms and themselves. Opportunities for women will only expand as forward-looking organizations increasingly recognize the business necessity of inclusivity. We want to help drive this trend and are adding a new corporate governance offering in June 2019 specifically designed for senior women leaders who want to prepare for board service.”
California recently became the first state to pass legislation requiring women on corporate boards. “NAWBO was founded in 1975 to be the first advocacy organization for all women business owners. Today, we look for ways to increase our members’ access to the following four areas—capital, community, capitols and confidence,” explains Molly Gimmel, NAWBO National Board Chair. “NAWBO is proud to be a solution to the lack of diversity on some boards. We do so by increasing our members’ access to the knowledge and confidence they may need regarding possible board service and by finding ways to work with our chapters to advocate for more diverse boards across the country through voluntary, positive measures.”
NAWBO members are now eligible to receive a 10% reduction on course fees for the Corporate Governance Program(s) and the Women’s Leadership Institute. Interested members can contact [email protected] and take advantage of this offer by providing their NAWBO membership number.