As a first year MBA student, I was disheartened to learn of the low number of women leaders in business. When I looked upward, I saw few executives I could relate to in charge of the visible, important businesses I studied in school. As disheartened as I was by the research I did however, I was simultaneously deeply motivated to do something about it. In 2008, I seized an independent study opportunity through my MBA program. I reached out to women executives and began conducting interviews with CEOs, CFOs, COOs, chairs, presidents, and executive vice presidents - with the intention to find out what these women wished they had known earlier in their careers and what knowledge was most essential to their advancement. The advice shared in the interviews uncovered vitally important career practices for young women and serves as the foundation of my book. The guidance the interviewees provided had a major impact on me, so much so, in fact, that I found myself doing and seeing things differently immediately afterward. My hope is that the tools in the book can propel your career forward and remove the limitations on what you think is possible.

Edward Stegman Achievement Award, 2009
NAWMBA Achievement Award, 2008
Certifications: Change management, competency modeling, human capital strategy