Accompanying a friend to a meeting of the Triangle Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) was just what she needed. I was not only struck by the warmth of the women, but also by their mission:
Bringing together women entrepreneurs from diverse occupations and providing them with opportunities to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.
Pondering whether or not to join, I decided to do some research. I discovered that this illustrious group of women is part of a national structure that unites women of different nationalities and across cultural boundaries. Believe it or not, ABWA was started by a men. Out of here! In an era where women’s roles were defined within the household, it is equivalent to a man lobbying for women to be recognized in this way.
What a difference a world war makes, in fact World War II. When men were called upon to defend their country, this left a void in the workforce that was crying out to be filled. No one else was available, so the women left home to go to work. Furthermore, the survival of his family depended on it as the breadwinner was now absent. Despite this contribution to preserving the family and economy on American soil, when the men returned, the women were expected to return to their home existence.
Hilary A. Bufton, Jr. said no way. He didn’t want these witty women to go unnoticed, but she knew her lonely voice couldn’t pierce the prejudices of her time. So, she teamed up with three businesswomen and established the American Association of Businesswomen, incorporating it on September 22, 1949. This single action sparked a change that would challenge traditional roles forever.
Although Mr. Bufton is now deceased, his daughter continues his legacy by serving as CEO. Under the leadership of Carolyn Bufton Elman, the organization continues to be an indomitable force of empowerment and support. Changes have been made over the last 50 years to keep up with ever-evolving trends, but the underlying values remain the same.
What caught my attention the most were the educational opportunities sponsored by the association. They are the ABWA-KU MBA Essentials program and the ABWA-KU series of management certificates. The former is a master’s level program, but the latter does not require any prior educational requirements. However, both expose professional women and entrepreneurs to advanced courses developed and taught by professors from the University of Kansas School of Business and its KU Center for Management Education.
Does that offer online shopping? They do! They even have a Business Skills Tuition Reimbursement program that makes education affordable. wow!
At last night’s meeting, members praised the national conference. My friend nodded, whispering to me how inspiring it is and how it’s a great networking opportunity. Now get this, this year’s conference is in Greensboro, NC. That’s just a 1 1/2 hour drive from where I live. That’s weird. According to officials, most of the meetings are in other states. The last one was in Anaheim, California. Members were urged to take advantage of this rare opportunity.
My friend explained to me that there is an agenda at each meeting. At this, there was a guest speaker who educated members on the prevalence of multiple sclerosis, especially among women. I was surprised that there were several women, including myself, who knew of someone who had the disease. While socializing, one of the members shared that she had been diagnosed in the past. As we ate, the group discussed upcoming events, businesses, and one of the members showed her jewelry business.
At the end of the meeting, I talked to one of the officials about being a guest speaker. Although the group does not compensate its speakers, this would be a great platform to jump into public speaking. Part of coaching is interacting with people individually but also in groups. Consequently, I anticipate combining a bit of education and really engaging the women in a group training session. Who knows where this could lead!
