It’s been a busy start to the 2013-2014 academic year for Goizueta Women in Business (GWIB). The student led organization provides professional and personal development opportunities for women at Goizueta by fostering relationships inside and outside the Emory community.

“Having a community of likeminded individuals is very important. There aren’t very many women at the MBA level in business school and GWIB does a great job of bringing outside expertise in as well as fostering the talent on campus,” says Eve Rosenzweig, associate professor of information systems & operations management and GWIB faculty advisor.

The group also partners with GWIB alumni and other alumni groups for networking opportunities and to share experiences. “Some of what GWIB does is networking, some of it is addressing problems faced in the workforce and providing opportunities to give back,” says Rosenzweig.

New to the agenda is the Women in Business Mentor Program. This initiative pairs GWIB members as mentors with members of Emory Women in Business (EWIB), an undergraduate organization comprised of Goizueta BBA women and undergraduate women interested in business throughout the university.

Rachel Lattimore 14MBA, VP of community and alumni outreach, leads the new initiative to mentor undergraduates. “GWIB acts as a forum for women to connect as a community and provides a supportive environment to help them be successful as students and professionals,” says Lattimore.

Most recently GWIB hosted a networking event for members, Goizueta female faculty, and key female staff persons. Interim Dean Maryam Alavi, faculty from across the business school, and women staff members in leadership at the Goizueta attended.

Soojin Yim, assistant professor of finance, attended the event and advises students to get to know each other outside of the classroom. She commented on the importance of groups like GWIB and their efforts to foster community. “Often times it’s the informal relationships you build that become most valuable in the future,” says Yim.

GWIB has a number of events planned to round out the semester, including more networking among internal university groups and external organizations and several community service opportunities for members.