Chicago Women in Business Alumnae Network (CWIBAN)

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

About Us

What is CWIBAN’s mission?

1. To support our alma mater;
2. To facilitate a global network for Chicago Booth women online and in person;
3. To promote women in business worldwide.

What does CWIBAN do?

CWIBAN members serve and benefit from the Booth community, through online projects and in-person meetings. At any time, there are CWIBAN initiatives ongoing around the world, making the group one of the most active alumni organizations at Chicago Booth.

Living and working across the globe, alumnae connect with each other via the CWIBAN monthly e-newsletters and web site. We provide a forum to exchange news and professional information, and we help friends keep in touch via our Alumnae News announcements.

Regional events are driven by local alumnae volunteers and center on career development, admissions support, and social networking. Popular events have included an annual golf outing in Minneapolis, women’s MBA dinners in Los Angeles, dim sum in New York, a kayaking day-trip in San Francisco, and a volunteer home-building project in Chicago, among others. For upcoming events, please visit our Calendar of Events.

To promote professional development, we host discussions with successful women professionals on career and life strategies. We also interview alumnae who relate their paths to success and work with the Mothers at Booth (MaB) to provide resources for the mothers and wives in our community. CWIBAN has successfully facilitated job referrals, inroads for alumnae moving to a new city, and introductions with other professional women's organizations.

Each year, we work with the Office of Admissions to boost women applicants to business school through our Women's Recruitment Campaign, which includes Booth Women's Week, a unique series of local events hosted by alumnae to meet prospective students. In addition, we host an Email-an-Admit campaign, connect prospective women students with local alums one-on-one, and represent Booth at the Forte Foundation forums.

CWIBAN works with the women's student group, CWIB, on joint programming as well. Working with current students and prospective women MBAs, alumnae have a great opportunity to support our alma mater while making new contacts with each other.

How does CWIBAN work?

Since 2002, CWIBAN has been a grassroots organization, driven by individual alumnae volunteers. The CWIBAN board of directors leads worldwide initiatives and maintains our close connection with Chicago Booth. Local volunteers drive all other projects, including regional gatherings. To volunteer, please contact CWIBAN President Gila Vadnai-Tolub '11.

How do I join?

All women graduates of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business are eligible for membership, which is free. CWIBAN members total over 4,500 worldwide.