Resources for Female MBAs

A roundup of organizations focusing on expanding the role of women in business school and the workplace

By Alison Damast

Women contemplating business school these days can find a diverse community of organizations devoted to helping them through the MBA application process, the job hunt, and managing their careers. Here's a roundup of some of the most active groups:

Forté Foundation: This group was founded in 2001 after a landmark research study titled "Women and the MBA: Gateway to Opportunity" explored why fewer women attended business school than schools of medicine or law. Since then, it has evolved into a coalition of major corporations, top 25 business schools, and leading nonprofit organizations. Working women and B-school students can take advantage of a combination of research, scholarship, networking, and mentoring opportunities all over the country.

National Association of Women MBAs: This national not-for-profit holds an annual conference and career fair ever year for MBA women. It also publishes a magazine, Women MBA, and supports the creation of local school-hosted chapters. The group's mission is to educate women on career opportunities available and help them find their way into leadership positions in the business world.

ASCENT: Despite being one of the largest segments of the workforce in the U.S., multicultural women are disproportionately underrepresented in the workforce. Ella L.J. Edmondson Bell, a professor at [http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/full_time_mba_profiles/tuck.html], sought to solve this problem last year by forming ASCENT, a nonprofit dedicated to helping multicultural women rise to top management positions. The group focuses on developing multicultural women's skills and talent through research, executive education, networking opportunities, and corporate sponsorships.

85 Broads: Janet Hanson started 85 Broads—a riff on her former Goldman Sachs [TICKER=GS] address, 85 Broad Street, back in 1997 when she was a stay-at-home mom. She originally envisioned it as a way to stay in touch with her former female Goldman friends, but the organization soon took on a life of its own. Today, it has more than 18,000 members, a diverse group of women from all over the world. It's primarily a networking and mentoring group and includes programs for those in the workforce, as well as students in undergraduate and graduate programs.

Women's MBA Network: The Women's MBA Network began as an informal group of alumnae from University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, Drexel University's LeBow College of Business, and Temple University's Fox School of Business. It conducts networking and professional development events for women in the Philadelphia area.

Damast is a reporter for BusinessWeek.com.