US Northeast
Contact Information
Chatham University Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship
Woodland Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15232-9910
Phone: (412) 365-1253
E-mail: womens-entrepreneurship@chatham.edu
Web site: www.chatham.edu/ccwe
Mary Riebe, Ph.D.
Director of the Center
Dr. Mary Riebe is a faculty member and the founding director of the Center for Women's Entrepreneurship at Chatham University. The center helps women shorten their learning curve to success by providing practical, expert guidance dedicated to business growth. Dr. Riebe brings to the Center a wealth of experience in entrepreneurship as a business owner, professor of entrepreneurship in the U. S. and Ireland for almost twenty years, consultant to over 150 business owners, and mentor.
Dr. Mary Riebe is a frequent public speaker and a presenter on issues of women business owners and women's leadership at seminars and conferences locally, nationally, and internationally. She presented at the World Conference of the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) in Belfast, Ireland, in 2003 and at the Third China-US Women's Issues Conference in Beijing, China, in 2002. Dr. Riebe served as a United States delegate at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)'s Accelerating Women's Entrepreneurship Global Forum in Istanbul, Turkey, in June 2004.
Passionate about helping women find their paths to fulfilled lives, Dr. Riebe has a strong background as a mentor. She received five awards in the past four years, including The Minnesota Women in Business Advocate Award for 2004 from the U. S. Small Business Administration.
A brief history of Chatham University...
Chatham University was chartered on December 11, 1869, under the name Pennsylvania Female College. The College was founded to provide women with an education comparable to that which men could receive at the time at “colleges of the first class.” Chatham is one of the earliest extant liberal arts colleges for women established originally as a college rather than as a seminary. It is one of four original eastern colleges founded for women that still limit the granting of baccalaureate degrees to women. Throughout its history, Chatham has been a pioneer in curricular progress, adapting its educational programs to meet society’s changing needs while maintaining the intellectual integrity of liberal arts.
The Reverend William Trimble Beatty, pastor of the Shadyside Presbyterian Church, led a group of Pittsburghers in making the dream of solid academic training for women a reality. The founders were somewhat ahead of their time: 1869 was the year that the National Association of Women’s Suffrage was established, and the year John Stuart Mill published The Subjection of Women. Pennsylvania Female College occupied what was then the largest private residence in Allegheny County - the George Berry mansion atop Fifth Avenue in Shadyside. Fifteen faculty and just more than 100 students occupied the 11-acre campus.
The College’s first curriculum required proficiency of all students in Latin, French, or German; higher mathematics; history; English; natural sciences; systematic Bible history; and Anglo-Saxon. In succeeding years, electives ranging from modern literature to family living were added, and the number of required courses was reduced.
Chatham University presently has 800 undergraduate women students and offers 18 co-ed graduate programs with enrollment of 1100.
Center’s Mission
From the Universities initial mission, Chatham continues to remain visionary in adopting new programs that meet the changing needs of our community and students. The Center for Women Entrepreneurs at Chatham University was founded July 1, 2005 to address the rising numbers of women entrepreneurs and their quest for development and growth in southwestern Pennsylvania.
As 1929 alumna Rachel Carson said, "Sometimes I lose sight of my goal, then again it flashes into view, filling me with a determination to keep the vision splendid before my eyes."
At our center, we are dedicated to the vision of economic empowerment and personal growth for women. The tradition continues. It is our duty and willingly accepted. It is our mission.
Center Programs
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Mentoring for Women Business Owners
The formal mentee program is a twelve-month program where women business owners are matched with seasoned, successful entrepreneur mentors in the region. Funded by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, admission is by online application and interview process in the fall of each year. Up to twelve mentees per year are accepted and each mentee is matched with a mentor through a process that ensures good "chemistry" to foster a learning environment.
The primary benefit of the mentoring program is the experience mentees will receive in a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Mentors provide insight, knowledge, coaching, make connections to other resources, and motivate by example.
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Think BIG – Yearly Conference
Envisioning your company’s move to higher ground
What is your vision for your business? Are you restricting your own growth? At Think Big nascent entrepreneurs learn from successful nationally recognized women entrepreneurs what it really takes to grow a business. Thing Big provides women with the opportunity to hear from very dynamic and successful women entrepreneurs, as well as to network with other women business owners. This presents an opportunity for women to learn how to expand their personal and professional potential and goals.
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FastTrac NewVenture™: The Payoff
Before you quit your job or invest your life savings; wouldn't it be nice to know whether your idea has merit? In FastTrac NewVenture, participants write a feasibility plan on their venture's strengths and weaknesses, examining ideas from every angle. They also work closely with other aspiring entrepreneurs sharing ideas and strategies, and they lay the groundwork for future business relationships. Through FastTrac NewVenture, participants discover whether the life of an entrepreneur is the right choice.
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FastTrac GrowthVenture™: The Big Picture
FastTrac® GrowthVenture™ focuses on helping entrepreneurs take a step back, look at the big picture, and work ON their business, not just IN their business. Through this program, owners strengthen their ability to make critical decisions and equip themselves with the knowledge and skills needed to improve the performance of their business. With FastTrac® GrowthVenture™, owners create a strategic framework to determine the best way for business growth.
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Peer-to-Peer Learning Roundtables
National research conducted (Weeks, Riebe, 2006) on women growing their businesses indicates a strong interest for women to join a facilitated peer group with other women at their same sales level.
The Peer-to-Peer Learning program offered by the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Chatham University is a dynamic forum, consisting of moderated roundtable discussions limited to 12 women business owners within non-compete industries. Women business owners exchange ideas, explore ways to answer challenges, gain insight on growing their business and learn from other women about successful business practices over monthly roundtables. Current participants describe the roundtables as “empowering,” “stimulating,” and “rejuvenating.”
Peer-to-Peer Learning is designed exclusively for women business owners based upon their company’s level of success; it is designed for women business owners with $100,000 to $500,000+ in sales. Each month women business owners, discuss with their peers personal and professional challenges, such as; access to capital, external advisors, human resource issues, client relationships, technology and the workplace, and managerial skills, all in a confidential and facilitated environment.
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"Listening to Your Business" Workshop
Developed by FastTrac and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the “Listening to Your Business” workshop is based upon the successful FastTrac business development programs that have been taught throughout the United States for over 10 years.
The “Listening to Your Business” four hour workshop is a hands-on, facilitated workshop designed to provide women business owners and managers with the critical evaluation tools and action steps they need to maximize the growth and profitability of their business. The workshop takes participants through a four-step evaluation and action process to enhance their company’s performance now and in the future including: setting your three-year vision; taking a snapshot of your business; translating your goals into action steps.
Women business owners in particular, get caught up in the daily operations of their business and do not take time to plan for the future. The “Listening to Your Business” workshop is a fast, inexpensive way to gain better control of business to take maximum advantage of future opportunities.
In addition, the workshop provides a comprehensive introduction into the FastTrac business development programs and is a good feeder for the programs.
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"Small Business Basics" Workshop
The Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Chatham University (CCWE) and SCORE Pittsburgh are partnering to present a “Small Business Basics” workshop to women interested in starting their own business or expanding their current business. The workshop covers the topics of business planning, financing, marketing, and a personal story on business challenges by a CCWE FastTrac® graduate.
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