More Than a Club: How Michigan Business Women is Leading the Way
Michigan Business Women is a graduate student club committed to creating an inclusive space where all women, allies, and students at the Ross School of Business are celebrated and empowered.
What is Michigan Business Women?
MBW promotes students’ personal and professional development through enriching programming designed to help them advance their careers at the world’s leading companies.
Our mission is to:
- Promote learning and discussion of issues of significance to women and the advancement of gender equity in business.
- Promote a sense of community and understanding among the women and allies at Michigan Ross with a special focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
- Provide opportunities to network with alums and other professional women through on-campus events, mentoring programs, conferences, and corporate-sponsored activities.
MBW Highlights
- Michigan Business Women is proud to have won the first-ever MBA Campus Award at the Forté Foundation's Annual Partner Meeting in June 2024. The award honors an MBA student organization that actively promotes, supports, and exemplifies the mission of advancing women in business.
- A big topic in the news this year is companies seemingly backing away from DEI. MBW has actively leaned into, created space for, and programmed around DEI.
- Lastly, MBW is meant to bring people together, creating connection and community for our MBA members. We celebrated Friendsgiving, enjoying food from around the world. We exchanged some incredible “white elephant” gifts at our holiday party. We planned fitness activities for Galentines Day and are looking forward to an upcoming off-campus rest and relaxation weekend retreat.
The Women in Leadership Conference
The Women in Leadership Conference is the annual flagship event of Michigan Business Women. The conference aims to uplift and amplify the unique strengths that women bring to the business world. Each year, the WiLC fosters discussion and provides a safe space for women to learn how to harness their distinct strengths to truly flourish — at business school, in the workplace, and beyond. The conference also aims to strengthen networking with women in leadership and inspire Ross women in business across industries to be their authentic selves and step up with confidence. This year’s theme was "Beyond the Stars: Women Breaking Boundaries.”
We spent more than six months planning and collaborating to bring our vision to life. This past October, MBW welcomed 200+ women and allies to our all-day conference. We were also thrilled to collaborate with Ross MBA admissions to host joint sessions with a prospective student weekend (Ross Women’s Weekend), welcoming 100+ prospective Ross students.
The conference celebrated the expertise, resilience, and leadership of inspiring women across industries, equipping our community to shatter ceilings and embrace their unique strengths. Thank you to all speakers and attendees for their active participation and engagement throughout the day.
About Us
Sam Schmitt, MBA ’25
I am a second-year MBA at Ross. I am very passionate about healthcare and am pursuing the healthcare management concentration. I currently serve as co-president of Michigan Business Women. In addition to MBW, I am the vice president of alumni affairs and external relations for the Healthcare and Life Sciences Club and a healthcare peer coach to help my fellow MBA students with recruiting. Additionally, I am very involved with the Sanger Leadership Center and have participated in several of its programs, including the Ross Leaders Academy. Finally, I have also had the chance to partner with Ravi Anupindi, Colonel William G. and Ann C. Svetlich Professor of Operations Research and Management and professor of technology and operations, to lead this year’s Global Health Supply Chain Summit in Lagos, Nigeria.
Being involved with MBW and serving as co-president has been one of my favorite parts of Ross. As one of the largest clubs on campus, I love the opportunity to connect with students of different interests and backgrounds. With a variety of interests, we are also able to have a wide variety of events and partnerships with different clubs on campus. MBW also creates a safe space to talk about more sensitive topics in the business world, like DEI, mental health, fertility, being a working mom, and more. Integrating these topics throughout our project helps make it easier to navigate these topics and prepare as future leaders.
What has been your favorite part of MBW so far?
My favorite part of MBW has been the community we have been able to create. We have 230+ members with different backgrounds and career interests, yet we are all passionate about creating a space for women in business and advancing women leaders. We offer a number of events focused on professional development, community building, mentorship, and DEI. At every event, I learned something new and got to meet new people.
How does the club help members advance their careers or develop professionally?
We know most, if not all, students enrolled in an MBA program are looking to advance their careers and develop professionally. MBW has a large emphasis on professional development. Our signature event, the annual Women in Leadership Conference, offers a full day of networking and career development sessions. This includes coffee chats and opportunities to interact with our company sponsors (this year, we have 11 sponsors across different industries!). The conference is a good way to prepare for interview season and recruiting. We also offer formal mentorship groups, as well as informal mentorship opportunities.
Clare Henne, MBA ’25
I am a second-year MBA at Ross. Before Ross, I wore a lot of hats at GE HealthCare across multiple supply chain and engineering roles — predominantly male-dominated teams. I cherished spaces like the GE women’s network to connect with others and grow professionally. When it came time to pick a business school, I chose to attend Ross because of the people: our tight-knit community and our shared ethos of paying it forward. The phenomenal statistics of women in leadership across Ross clubs also inspired me to contribute. I sought out Michigan Business Women to do just that: support women in the community across all areas of their lives — academic, professional, and personal. Building relationships with many talented and inspiring women in my cohort has been incredibly rewarding. I’m excited to continue to prioritize contributing to women’s career development.
What has been your favorite part of MBW so far?
My favorite part of MBW is the community. It’s a rare and special opportunity to pull 200+ brilliant, talented women together to learn from and navigate MBA life. We are “all in” while we are here. The students, energy, and community we feel here make me confident that the connections will last once we leave Ross.
How does the club aim to support women in business at the MBA level and beyond?
MBW is designed to be different things for different people. If you need support reaching a professional goal, MBW has resources for that. If you want to learn more about how to navigate your fertility, personal finances, or legal partnerships, MBW has resources for that, too. If you simply want to enjoy a community of brilliant and talented people, MBW is certainly a space for that. MBW has also intentionally championed incredible Ross alums by inviting them back to campus and spotlighting their work.
