Women Connect recently held Smart Women Lead, an event allowing alumnae to network and listen to their fellow Tommies speak about leadership and gender roles.
Lou Anne Sexton manages the organization as part of her role as Director of Affinity Giving. She said that even if women didn’t attend St. Thomas at the same time, it is still important for them to connect.
“We have a shared experience, and because we went to St. Thomas we have a sense of shared values,” Sexton said.
Alumnae involved with Women Connect gathered to listen to Target’s Senior Vice President in Product Design and Development, Julie Guggemos, talk about her career. President Julie Sullivan, the first female president of St. Thomas, moderated the conversation.
Guggemos graduated from St. Thomas in 1987 and started her career with Target almost immediately afterward. She told other alumnae about her journey and offered advice on achieving goals.
Shawn Anne Buttschau, a 1993 graduate, appreciated the event.
“St. Thomas does a great job of bringing together the alumni community,” Buttschau said. “They do a great job with the women’s community, and they always have great speakers.”
Smart Women Lead is one of three annual events that Women Connect offers. Its signature event is the Spring Legacy Brunch, which gives graduating seniors an opportunity to network with alumnae.
“Spring Legacy brunch is really a not-to-be-missed event for students,” Sexton said. “(The event was started to) ensure that graduating senior women knew they had a group that they belonged to forever.”
The organization’s second event for alumnae was a summer social but was changed last year to Yoga on the Quad in order to make the experience more interactive and attract younger alumna. Sullivan praised the organization for providing a conduit for connection.
“You bring people with like interests together, and I think Women Connect has been one of those things, particularly for our young women alumna … as well as to our women alumna who are further along in their careers,” Sullivan said.
Women Connect started in 2009 and focuses on women in all professions.
“It really started because St. Thomas has been a coeducational institution since 1977, but there hasn’t been a lot, particularly for women alumna,” Sexton said. “Women may want some things that are different than what men would want, so this is in response to that.”
By combining the money the group accumulated from a small fee for events, Women Connect is now able to offer two scholarships for female students who show leadership at St. Thomas.
Rachel Weiss can be reached at weis3565@stthomas.edu.