Dean Spotlight: Women in Business Club

One of Dean’s newest clubs, the Women in Business Club, is fresh off their successful Women-Owned-Business Tour this fall. We caught up with the club’s founder and president, Madison Frechette ’24, a double major in Business and Marketing with an associate degree in Dance, to learn more about the group and what their mission is.

Q: Tell us a little about the Women in Business club. How did it get started? What are your mission, goals, and responsibilities?

Maddie: “The Women in Business Club got started last spring. Kelly Rhys, assistant professor of Marketing, and I met with a shared common goal: how can we advertise and engage our School of Business to female students? Together, we formed the Women in Business Club to build an inclusive community that celebrates the stories and journeys of young female alumni, local entrepreneurs and women in business. Our goal is to inspire and empower students to make connections, get involved in their community, and prepare for a future career in business. I currently serve as the club president and co-founder alongside Kelly, who is the other co-founder and our club advisor. Right now, I help plan events, recruit members and am growing awareness of the club in Franklin as well as on campus.

Q: Tell us a little about the Women-Owned-Business (WOB) Tour – where did that idea come from? How did it come together? What do impact do you hope this event series had?

Maddie: “The WOB Tour was an idea we had when thinking about the challenge of networking in the community. We all had agreed there was a need for us to get out into the town to make connections, but we weren’t quite sure how. The WOB Tour allowed us to directly connect with female entrepreneurs in the community to learn all that we can; from hearing how they got their start to how they maintain the business, it was a great way for us to get connected. I hope this series allowed us to build connections between Dean and local Franklin entrepreneurs. For club members, I hope this tour reminded them that truly anything is possible, just as these ladies have shown us firsthand.”

Q: What were the events like during the WOB Tour?

Maddie: “We were able to visit the Franklin School for the Performing Arts, Fiori and Fern, and Live Love Barre throughout the fall semester. All attendees got a chance to learn a little about the founders and how they succeed in their business. We heard about their origin stories and got to ask relevant questions about the field. And we were able to tour their facilities and see the ins and outs of each business.”

Q: What other events do you have planned?

Maddie: “The club will be hosting an on-campus conference with keynote speakers in March that we are gearing up for as one of main goals. We meet monthly on the second Wednesday of every month and any full-time female-identifying student is welcome to attend.”

Q: Anything else you want to share about the Women in Business club?

Maddie: “I appreciate all of the support we have been receiving from the Dean community, including advisors, faculty, staff, and fellow students. It has helped us immensely in our successes. I am so excited to see where myself, Kelly, and the club members take us along this journey. It has been an honor to be involved and lead something so significant in the School of Business.”

Learn more about student life at Dean and register for the Dean College Women in Business Conference this March.