University of Texas

UT's ‘Women Who Mean Business' Program Addresses Decline of Women in the Workforce

Gay Gaddis and Lynn Utter collaborate with their alma mater to help women navigate through career leadership

Picture of UT tower
Marsha Miller/The University of Texas at Austin

McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas is debuting their Women Who Mean Business program to address the national decline of women in the workforce.

The six-month leadership development program is designed to help equip high-achieving women with the tools and mentorship needed to navigate rapid career acceleration.

The program will be led by two Texas female CEOs, Gay Gaddis and Lynn Utter. Gaddis, the founder of T3 advertising agency and author of Cowgirl Power, brings an entrepreneurial lens, and Utter, a serial C-suite executive, looks at advancement and the critical needs of businesswomen within a corporate environment.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the pandemic has forced 2.5 million women to leave the workforce and confirms that women are three times more likely to sacrifice their careers for family.

Women will be able to take this program and have the opportunity to take courses in an immersive curriculum and mentorship, teaching women how to find their unique leadership style, sharpen their personal decision making skills, improve their communication and negotiation abilities and more.

"Partnering with Lynn and Executive Education at Texas McCombs will make this program a true game-changer for businesswomen on their way to the top," said Gaddis. "If we can buck the trend of women losing ground in the workplace, and give them the confidence and tools to soar, then this will all be worthwhile for generations to come."

This program will seek to fix the problems many organizations face in supporting their female employees by offering tactical solutions and hands-on training.

"I hope that Women Who Mean Business serves as a secret decoder ring to help more women successfully navigate their career journeys," added Utter.

The fully in-person program will be hosted at UT Austin in the their Texas Executive Education Center over four, two-day sessions and will be limited to 50 members.

"One of our goals at McCombs is to foster principled leaders and this program will address a crucial need in the market," says Lillian Mills, Texas McCombs interim dean. "What's even greater is to have two esteemed alums returning to campus to give back in such a meaningful way."

The Women Who Mean Business program is planned to launch in September. For more information, or to apply, click here.

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