When: Monday, September 21, 2009

6.30-7:00: Registration/Networking

7:00-8:30: Panel Discussion/Q&A

Where: The Feldenkrais Institute,134 West 26th Street, 2^nd Floor

Cost: $10  (light refreshments included)

RSVP by 5.30 pm on September 21th to: http://womeninsocialentrepreneurship.eventbrite.com

Women play a key role in traditional and social entrepreneurship globally, and living in New York we are surrounded by women who are in the midst of changing the world through entrepreneurship!

Through a conversation with our panelists, including Elizabeth Scharpf and Katie Orenstein--two uber-entrepreneurs and Echoing Green fellows-- and Amini Kajunju, CEO of Workshop in Business Opportunities, we will highlight the power of women in this field, both domestically and internationally, feature the various models of social entrepreneurship (non-profit, for-profit, hybrid),  and discuss the challenges and opportunities that female entrepreneurs face. 

Moderated by a representative of the Acumen Fund, the conversation is ideal for anyone, male or female, who have ideas and need inspiration, anyone interested in learning more about the field of social entrepreneurship or meeting with like-minded individuals.

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Elizabeth Scharpf

Elizabeth is starting a business called Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE) in Rwanda that will provide a sustainable model to provide affordable sanitary napkins for women and young girls. Elizabeth, a recent Harvard MBA and MPA-International Development graduate, is an entrepreneur who spent most of her professional career starting up ventures or advising businesses on growth strategies in the health-care industry. Previously, she worked for a boutique management consulting firm, the Clinton Foundation, and the World Bank in South America, Asia, and East Africa, respectively.

http://www.echoinggreen.org/fellows/elizabeth-scharpf

Katie Orenstein

Katie is a journalist who has started a company called the Op-Ed Project, which aims to train more women and minorities to take part in global debates (op-eds, political commentary, even Congress are dominated up to 85% by well educated white males).  An author and journalist, Catherine Orenstein has written for the op-ed pages of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Miami Herald, and her commentary has been nationally syndicated. A graduate of Harvard (BA) and Columbia (MA), she is a fellow at The Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership, a women’s think tank.

http://www.echoinggreen.org/fellows/katie-orenstein

Amini Kajunju

Amini Kajunju is the CEO/COO of Workshop in Business Opportunities (WIBO) which is a private non-profit organization that is committed to assisting men and women with the drive to become successful entrepreneurs. WIBO’s flagship 16-week workshop, “How to Build a Growing Profitable Business” is currently conducted in nine underserved communities of New York City.