Women's MBA Association

Officers

• President: Wendy Teufel
• Membership Officer: Julie Krommer
• Events Officer: Leah Schlosser
• Finance Officer: Paige Kindell
• Communication Officer: Pauline Cothran
• Faculty Advisor: Sandy Richtermeyer

Officer Biographies

	Wendy Teufel - President Wendy Teufel received her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Dayton and has an estimated completion of Fall 2008 from the Xavier MBA program. Currently, she is employed by Toyota Motor Manufacturing in the Quality Division and has been working there for the past 7 years in the Chemical Laboratory. Wendy is an active member of the Junior League of Cincinnati whose mission is to promote volunteerism, develop the potential of women, and improve communities through the effective action and leadership of its membership. Wendy is also a member of the Women's Leadership Forum at Toyota to promote professional development and provide opportunities to connect with other members of the organization.
	Leah Schlosser – Vice President of Events Leah received her B.S. in Computer Information Systems Technology from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN on December 15th of 2002. She joined International Paper in February of 2003 as a UNIX administrator. In June of 2004, she was promoted and relocated to Cincinnati, OH. In March of this year Leah accepted a position with First Group America in downtown Cincinnati. She is the Windows and UNIX administrator for both the Cincinnati corporate headquarters as well as the former Laidlaw International environment in Chicago, IL. Leah served as the Vice President of Communications for the Women’s MBA Association for the 2007-2008 school year. She will complete her MBA in May of 2009.
	Julie Krommer – Vice President of Membership Julie Krommer is a mechanical engineer currently working at GE Aviation as a Program Manager for the assembly process of a military helicopter engine. She is a member of the GE Women’s Network and is currently a Green Belt in Six Sigma. She started her MBA in the Summer of 2007 with the XU-GE onsite program and is on target to graduate in May 2009.
	Paige Kindell: VP Finance As Director of Client Financial Planning for Advantage IQ, North America's leading energy management firm that provides utility cost-reduction and carbon management services, Paige Kindell is responsible for managing two key branches of AIQ services - the Financial Analysis Department, which produces over $850 million in utility budgets annually for a national client base, and the Emissions Reporting Department, responsible for developing and reporting Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Since joining the firm in 2006, she is managing services for over 30,000 sites across the country. Prior experience in the energy industry includes her time working for the Minister of Environment, Agriculture and Farming at the National Assembly for Wales, UK, on issues such as sustainability, wind farming and clean energy. She also was an accountant for a large construction company, reporting on the financial status of ongoing projects. Ms. Kindell is on the Board of the Xavier Women's MBA Organization, and an active member in Dress for Success YP group and the United Way's Emerging Leaders Association. Ms. Kindell holds a Masters in Finance from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH and BA in Business from Ohio University in Athens, OH.
	Pauline Cothran – Vice President Communications Pauline received her MBA from Xavier in May 2007. She graduated from Miami University in 2003 with an undergraduate degree in Management Information Systems and minors in International Business and Italian. Pauline recently joined BASES, part of the Nielsen Company, after spending four years in IT Risk and Audit at Fifth Third Bank. Pauline is currently an Associate Manager in BASES Pharmaceutical group. Pauline also has a passion for education and has recently taught undergraduate MIS courses at Miami University. Pauline has been a member of the Xavier Women’s MBA group since inception. She took on a leadership role for the 2007-2008 school year, acting as the Chair of Professional Development. In addition, Pauline has held several leadership positions over the past year, including Co-Chair for the Cincinnati Ballet Nutcracker Gala, Fifth Third’s Diversity Board, and Webmaster for the Greater Cincinnati ISACA chapter. In her free time, she enjoys horseback riding, golf, and tennis.
	Vanessa White – Vice President of Community Relations Vanessa received her MBA from Xavier in May, 2007. She received her Bachelor’s of Science degree from the University of Cincinnati. Vanessa is Director of Community Engagement & Strategic Initiatives for the Fine Arts Fund. In her position is responsible for providing leadership and support to the Fine Arts Fund for external relationship building with a variety of constituencies as it works to develop and sustain partnerships in the community that help to better achieve the Fine Arts Fund’s mission of strengthening the arts in the region. Vanessa also works with Fine Arts Fund staff to implement its organization-wide diversity and inclusion strategies as well as works with arts organizations to build capacity for achieving their goals. She uses her leadership, communication and strategic planning skills to accomplish her work. Vanessa also stays actively engaged in the community as a volunteer. She has served on various boards and committees to that end. As well, she has served in volunteers roles that directly impact youth and their families. She has been a mentor since 2003 and before that was a CASA. She is a member of the current class of We Lead, a women’s leadership development program of the USA Regional Chamber. She has been a member of Xavier Woman’s MBA group since it began and has benefited greatly from those women in the community who have shared their time, talent and leadership abilities with us. Vanessa and her husband Byron live in Cincinnati’s North Avondale neighborhood with their fabulous five children.

 

Events

Current Events

Below is the tentative schedule of events for the 2009 Spring Semester:
Date: February 28, 2009
Time: 10:00-11:30 am (arrive early for brunch and networking)
Personal Finance Workshop:  An hour long workshop providing tips and advice on important financial issues for women
Location: Clock Tower Lounge, Gallagher Student Center, Xavier University
To RSVP, please email: julie.krommer@gmail.com

Date: March 24, 2009
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Distinguished Speaker Series: Janet B. Reid, “Cultural Dexterity: The Critical Skill for Success in a Globalized Economy”
Location: Cintas Center, Duff Banquet Hall

Date: April 11, 2009
Time: 10:30 am – 1:30 pm (includes lunch in golf course clubhouse)
Breaking Through the Grass Ceiling: Golf Lessons
Location: Reeves Golf Course at Lunken Airport
To RSVP, please email: julie.krommer@gmail.com

Date: May, TBD
Time: TBD
Women Connect Conference: A half-day conference offering Xavier women networking and development opportunities
Location: Cintas Center

Past Events

How to Effectively use LinkedIn and FaceBook to Build Your Network
The XWMBAA was happy to offer our members an opportunity to participate in a webinar hosted by the National Association of Women MBAs on how to effectively use LinkedIn and Facebook. The webinar focused on best practices for using the two online tools for building and managing professional networks. To learn more, please click to following for: slides from the presentation and a LinkedIn reference sheet.

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Balancing Career and Personal Life: A conversation with Julia Poston
As part of the XWMBAA’s Women Leaders Speaker Series, we were happy to host Julia Poston, Cincinnati Office Managing Partner for E&Y.  Julia’s presentation focused on achieving flexibility in the workplace as well as the importance of inclusion to a business’ success.  Julia explained that E&Y has performed research that provides a strong business case for inclusion, including diversity of thought, increased employee morale, and higher employee retention.

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Panel Discussion for Prospective Women MBA Students
In November, the XWMBAA hosted a panel discussion for prospective women MBA students.  The panel consisted of women students, alumni, and faculty.  During the discussion, panelists described their experiences as women at Xavier and the unique challenges they faced while working towards their degree.

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National Conference
The leadership team of the XWMBAA attended the annual national conference for the National Association of Women MBAs (NAWMBA).  This year’s conference was held in Stamford, CT and had the theme “Discover Your Potential.” It featured student and professional tracks.  The program included keynote speakers, workshops, breakout sessions, and a lot of time during breaks and lunch to meet and share ideas with fellow professionals.Speakers included Kim Brown, VP of Finance at Walmart, and Janet Gurwitch, founder of Laura Mercier Cosmetics.

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Public Speaking Workshop
Jessica Selasky and Dorothy Lynn, the authors of Your Public Speaking Workout, offered participants tips on how to overcome fears and actually enjoy public speaking.  Topics included: preparing a presentation, engaging the audience, establishing presence, losing your nervousness, and creating great openers.  All attendees also received a copy of Your Public Speaking Workout, complements of the XWMBAA.

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Panel Discussion with Successful Local Entrepreneurs
During this workshop, attendees learned how a panel of successful women entrepreneurs made the leap from corporate roles to successful business ownership. Topics included: What type of challenges did they face & how did they navigate them? How did they prepare for the transition? The panelists represented different backgrounds, industries, business types, stages of transition, etc.

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Looking and Sounding Professional: The Importance of Visual and Vocal Image on the Job
Sandra Vogel, a professional presenter, teamed up with Rocco Dal Vera, MFA – CCM Faculty Member & Professional Voice Actor, to help attendees become more aware of how to project a professional image.  The workshop provided concepts and practical tips for looking AND sounding good on the job.

Jo Miller presents workshop on becoming more influencial at work.
Leadership Team at National Conference.
Julia Poston presents Balancing Career and Personal Life.
Paige Kindell displays NAWMBA magazine with her picture on cover.