Yale SOM Alumnae Celebrate Women at Yale

Recently, Yale University has created an initiative to highlight and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the matriculation of women in Yale College and the 150th anniversary of the first women students at the university.  In honor of this movement, the Yale School of Management held a panel on November 18th which brought in three distinguished alumnae to discuss everything from their unusual paths that led them to Yale SOM, their careers paths after Yale SOM, their highs and lows in the profession, and their observations of the representation of females in their professions.  They also gave advice and tips for having a successful career and life during the question and answer session.

The panel was moderated by Professor Sharon Oster who was the first woman and former Dean of Yale SOM and Finance Professor Heather Tookes.  The panelists included: Linda Mason ’80, Chairman and co-Founder of Bright Horizons; Jane Mendillo ’84, former President and CEO, Harvard Management Company; and ICF Advisory Board Member, Sandra Urie ’85, Chairman Emeritus, Cambridge Associates.

During the panel, Sandra Urie ’85 spoke about deciding later in life to pursue her education at Yale SOM and because of this decision, she found a whole new world of courses and professions at her fingertips. Urie was lucky to interview at Cambridge Associates, which at the time had an amazing ratio of almost 50% women in management positions – this is something that was not so common back then, let alone now.  She was also fortunate enough to work for a company whose flexibility and open-mindedness allowed her to grow and become COO at a time when she felt she should leave her job because of her family obligations.

It’s truly inspiring to hear from three women who have persevered in their careers.  By participating in this panel they are celebrating the progress of women and are finding ways to bring awareness and combat the inequality of female representation in various professions and in senior level positions.

For more about the #50WomenatYale150 initiative and events, click here.