On Friday, the Orange Campus Atrium became an open forum for the annual Women in Business club e-board elections, which are held each fall semester. As both an in-person and virtual event, the goal of the day was to successfully vote new members into office before the semester concludes, allowing the new e-board some time to plan.

Formed in 2020 during the start of the pandemic, the Women in Business have worked their way to being able to hold regular in-person meetings and events.

Unlike other clubs, the president is appointed, rather than elected, by the advisor to serve for a year, while the rest of the e-board is decided via regular elections within the club.

Current Women in Business President, Kiana White, a senior business management student, is heading into her second term, appointed by club advisor and Interim Assistant Dean Candice Deal.

According to White, the Women in Business club isn’t just for students that identify as women, but rather has the goal of providing a platform for students of all gender identities.

The focus on the female experience within business is one that the founders of the club saw as particularly important. “We have a lot of well-versed and very inspirational women who’ve been in the field of business but also have that contact and experience of being a female in a male dominated industry,” White said.

The Women in Leadership series exemplifies the effort the Women in Business club makes to share real world experiences and skills by bringing in entrepreneurs like Bobbi Hamilton, the CEO of Chi Universe, and Mary Barneby, regional CEO of the American Red Cross and member of the Women’s Leadership Council at the Pompea College of Business.

The club also hosts red table talks, giving members and attendees the opportunity to talk about controversial and difficult subjects.

One of the most prominent events that the Women in Business club hosts is an annual spring pitch competition named EntreprenHer. The event focuses on female entrepreneurs as they pitch their businesses to a panel of judges for the opportunity to win cash prizes in first, second and third places to help fund their ventures.

Looking ahead, White looks forward to working with an e-board of new faces, personalities and backgrounds. White commended the diversity of the club, noting the number of international students and students from different states within the club and e-board.

“Through our diversity we also need to know how to manage inclusivity as well, so I think that’s something I’m taking into the spring,” White said.

After an hour of speeches from different candidates running for each position on the e-board, the voting portion of the event took place, with members scanning a QR code to take them to a form.

Thirty minutes later, the results were in. Joining White were a few familiar faces: Abby Murphy, a junior business management major and the former secretary, moved up to vice president; Emily Bogdanowicz, a senior sport management major and former member engagement and community head, moved up to secretary; Ramyasri Sai, a junior business analytics major, returned to her position as executive representative; and Yashvi Fadia, a graduate business administration and marketing student, returned to her social media position.

Joining the familiar faces are two newcomers, as the director of finance position was left unfilled at the end of the meeting. Taking over as Head of Student Engagement is Megan Ringuette, a graduate business administration student. Filling the last voted-on position of the day was junior business management major Abigail Fleisig taking the position of diversity, equity and inclusion committee head.