A Whirlwind Week

It has been a whirlwind of a week since my last posting.

After three relaxing days in Sarasota where I had a change to have lunch with same friends and get in a round of golf, it was off to Boston. I was saddened to leave the warm, sunny weather to head to the frigid cold of Boston. I, however, was greeted with a pleasant surprise; my heavy winter coat was too much! Though there were some rain showers the day I arrived, the temperature was pleasant. I checked into the relatively new Westin Waterfront with all of its trappings of comfort.

The four-day experience gave me the opportunity to share with the academic and non-profit communities - Babson College, Harvard Business School and Strong Women, Strong Girls; a non-profit organization that uses lessons from contemporary and historic women to help young girls and women become strong women themselves.

First stop: Babson College where I was interviewed by Dr. Myra Hart, retired professor from Harvard business School, as the first author in their Author Series program for Women’s History Month. Ironically, Myra was the professor who presented my Alumni Achievement Award from Harvard to me in 2003 and with whom I had worked on the board of the National Association of Women Business Owners Foundation. It was an interactive exchange between students, faculty, staff and friends from the Babson community. The students were so impressive.

The Strong Women, Strong Girls event was hosted by one of their sponsors, Naxitis, at their attractive facility in downtown Boston. I was welcomed with drinks and tasty hors d’oeuvres. Having a chance to mingle with the attendees before my presentation put me in a more relaxed state of mind. The more I heard from the people involved with this organization, the more impressed I became.

The H. Naylor Fitzhugh conference, sponsored by the African American Student Union at Harvard Business School, took me back to familiar territory. Although the conference was at the Westin Hotel, seeing so many students, alumni and prospective students was reminiscent of my days at HBS. Adding to the joy of the weekend was the fact that both of my daughters came from NY to attend the conference. It was a glorious weekend.

Traveling around and meeting so many people is exhilarating. I have been exposed to individuals and organization that are doing amazing things. I will explore some of these for possible involvement after my book tour slows down.

I look forward to the next leg of my journey which takes me to Richmond, VA, then Miami, FL for the Enterprising Women conference where I will be inducted into their Hall of Fame.