The Spire

Sophia Mariani ‘26

Features Editor

On Saturday, November 4, the Hogan Ballroom was bustling with empowering female energy for the eighteenth annual Women in Business Conference at Holy Cross. The conference hosted both established and aspiring women in business to network and connect with each other on Holy Cross’ campus. The meeting had a large turnout of young women eager to build connections and expand their knowledge from more established women in business. The meeting included multiple panelists of alumni who provided insight and advice. Some of the alumni present at the conference included Director of the Chaplain’s Office, Marybeth Kearns- Barrett ‘84 who gave an opening speech, as well as Christine Anderson ‘99, Global Head of Corporate Affairs and Senior Managing Director at Blackstone. 

To add to the excitement around the event, it was also a part of the celebration of 50 years of coeducation at Holy Cross. The school is recognizing this from September 2022 through May 2024, as it marks the 50 years from the time that the first female class started and graduated at Holy Cross. 

The conference began with a group breakfast and welcome, to a keynote interview with Anderson, to a plethora of breakout groups, to lunch and a mentor panel, to more breakout rooms, and then time for students to network with alumni. Each panel offered diverse perspectives on issues and concepts within business. Some of the topics discussed throughout the day included insight on market volatility, valuing diversity, equity and inclusion as leaders, marketing yourself with a liberal arts degree in the business world, communications within the financial services industry, accounting, owning your career trajectory, aligning values to the workplace, staying current with technology, and more. 

Colette Potter ‘26 attended the conference and had a positive perspective to share. She shared, “I thought it was very encouraging because for me, it was reassuring to see how successful so many Holy Cross alumni are.” Putting yourself out there in the professional world can seem daunting, so having positive role models to look to for support and advice is beneficial to the aspiring young women of Holy Cross. Potter went on to say, “Also I was surprised to see how many young alumni there were and it was very helpful to hear how they got started with their careers more recently out of Holy Cross, as well as the leadership positions that the earlier graduating classes have.” Having insight from generations of successful women is a beneficial experience, especially as a student in the beginning years of being a WIB.

This event provided a unique experience to create female-to-female connections in the business world with established alumni. The shared experiences at the 2023 Women in Business Conference will provide Holy Cross’ young women with resources and opportunities to launch themselves into the business world.