For Immediate Release: April 14, 2006
Contact:  Kerry Parke, kparke@hbs.edu, (617) 495-6931

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL COMPLETES WOMEN'S SUIT DRIVE

BOSTON - Just in time for spring, the women of Harvard Business School cleaned out their closets for a good cause. Co-Sponsored by the HBS MBA Women’s Student Association and the HBS Doctoral Programs, the School’s first ever Women’s Suit Drive took place from April 5-7th and resulted in the donation of more than 680 items to help disadvantaged women make the transition into the workforce.

Women throughout the HBS community – MBAs, doctoral students, faculty, and staff – as well as Harvard University’s Economics department, brought various items of business clothing to the drop-off center on the HBS campus, including suits, blouses, sweaters, and accessories.

Items were then donated to the following Massachusetts organizations:

“The suit drive was an opportunity for the women of HBS to come together, clean out their closets, prevent perfectly good clothing from being thrown away, and impact the lives of disadvantaged women in the Boston area,” said Maria Curcio, Associate Director of the HBS Doctoral Programs, who initiated the drive. “As a business school, it’s important that we do what we can to make a difference at all levels of business. Making a good impression is an important part of the interview process, and we hope our donations will help these women feel and look confident.”

About Harvard Business School
Founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University, Harvard Business School (www.hbs.edu), is located on a 40-acre campus in Boston. Its faculty of more than 200 offers full-time programs leading to the MBA and doctoral degrees, as well as more than 40 Executive Education programs. For almost a century, HBS faculty have drawn on their research, their experience in working with organizations worldwide, and their passion for teaching to educate leaders who have shaped the practice of business around the globe.