Vera Bradley founder to give keynote

IU’s Women in Business organization is holding its second annual conference this Saturday. The goal of the conference is to create an opportunity to build leadership, professionalism and networking skills through a panel discussion and several workshops, said junior Brittney Chenoweth, a Women in Business conference director.\n“This is only our second year, but we are hoping other colleges will want to come because of the networking opportunities and leadership skills they will gain from the conference,” Chenoweth said.\nKeynote speaker Patricia Miller, a co-founder of the Vera Bradley purse company, is one of the highlights of this year’s conference, said freshman Kim Nowakowski, a Women in Business associate..\nNowakowski said she is in awe of what Miller has accomplished.\n“You can walk down campus and see Vera Bradley’s quilted paisley bags,” Nowakowski said. “It’s kind of exciting to meet the person and the brain behind all of that.”\nMiller’s presentation is called “Women in Business, Ask What If?” Nowakowski said the presentation is meant to inspire attendees to ask themselves what would happen when they tried to start their own companies.\n“That’s how ideas start,” Nowakowski said. “By asking yourself, what would happen if?”\nOne of the problems with last year’s conference was getting attendees because there were not many reliable members in the organization, said sophomore Sarah Garner, a Women in Business conference director. Last year, the organization’s membership was based on a system of points earned by attending events. Some members only came to events when they wanted to and the organization was not a priority to them, Garner said.\n“Women in Business was more of a resume-filler than a resume-builder,” Garner said.\nThis year members of the organization had to fill out applications and be interviewed to fill a specific position or role, Garner said. Membership has been trimmed down to about 60 people, rather than hundreds.\n“Now it’s a more elite organization,” Garner said. “We can run things more efficiently and get more out of it.”\nThere are still some flaws that need to be worked out of the system, but the idea of interviewing members to make Women in Business more elite is better for the organization, Garner said.\nJunior Lisa VanDenburgh, an associate with the organization, said the conference is good for Women in Business members and membership development.\n“No other undergraduate organization in the Kelley School does something like this,” VanDenburgh said. “It’s something unique.”\nVanDenburgh said she enjoyed networking with professors and company representatives at last year’s conference. Certain workshops taught her things she didn’t know.\n“If anything, it’s inspirational hearing from successful business women,” VanDenburgh said. “It makes you feel like you made the right choice entering the Kelley School.”\nThe conference begins at 9 a.m. Garner encourages anyone on campus who thinks they would be interested to attend.\n“Anybody can benefit from these workshops and speakers,” Garner said. “I feel like everyone will be out in the business world when they’re older, so anyone could take something away from it.”\nMore information is available at the Women in Business Web site, www.indiana.edu/~wib.