Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative Welcomes Key4Women Forum

Debra Jasper and Betsy Hubbard, co-founders of Mindset Digital
Debra Jasper and Betsy Hubbard, co-founders of
Mindset Digital
Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
(574) 284-4579

May 11, 2012 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—The Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative (WEI) at Saint Mary’s College is proud to welcome back KeyBank’s Key4Women® Forum. The luncheon will be held on Wednesday, May 23 at the Gillespie Conference Center at the Hilton Garden Inn, adjacent to campus. Registration and networking will start at 11:30 a.m. The program begins at noon. The cost is $15 and is considered a donation to the Kelly Cares Foundation. The foundation, started by University of Notre Dame Football Coach Brian Kelly and his wife Paqui, is devoted to promoting breast cancer research and awareness, among other causes. The Kelly Cares Foundation is KeyBank’s designated local charity.

This year’s Key4Women® Forum is titled “The New Realities: Three Communications Shifts Today’s Business Leaders Can’t Afford to Ignore.” The speakers are Debra Jasper and Betsy Hubbard, founders of Mindset Digital. Mindset Digital helps businesses take advantage of powerful new channels, like social media, to engage clients, customers and large audiences. Jasper and Hubbard are conducting the keynote address at Key4Women events in 17 cities across the country.

“We are pleased to be able to bring the Key4Women Forum back to South Bend.  The ability to help educate and inform business owners and executives about the ever changing world of social media is part of our vision in helping our community thrive,” said Randy Foster, district president for Key Bank.

“The purpose of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative is to partner with community businesses, non-profits and organizations to provide financial and business education services to women entrepreneurs. This forum is an example of how we do this,” said Susan Vance, WEI’s senior project director and professor of business law and accounting at Saint Mary's College. Vance is also a member of the national Key4Women Advisory Board.

Click to register for the luncheon. Registration closes on Thursday, May 17.

About the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative (WEI): In 2009, the College received a $245,000 Small Business Administration grant to support women’s entrepreneurship programming in the South Bend community, which led to the creation of WEI. The initiative was developed through the collaborative efforts of the Department of Business Administration and Economics (BUEC) and the staff of the Center for Women’s Intercultural Leadership (CWIL). Through WEI, which got underway in the spring semester, the College is partnering with community businesses, non-profits and organizations to provide a number of financial and business education services to women entrepreneurs. WEI is pronounced "we."

About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” for 2012 published by U.S.News and World Report. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.

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