Prime Highlights-
- USM’s first Women in Business Club hosts CEO panel on Portland Campus, giving students advice on leadership, mentorship and career building.
- CEOs urge USM students to embrace a yes mentality, take opportunities early and build leadership skills through hands-on practice.
Key Facts-
- Jen Millard, Kaveri Subbarao Nauhaus and Tisha Bremner led the panel at Payson Smith Hall.
- Senior business major Aja Marzilli founded the club, which has built professional confidence for dozens of students.
Background-
The University of Southern Maine’s first Women in Business Club brought three local CEOs to its Portland Campus to share career stories, answer student questions and offer advice on leadership, mentorship and careers. The event at Payson Smith Hall drew students from programs ranging from accounting to art.
Jen Millard of MaineLove, Kaveri Subbarao Nauhaus of Bernstein Shur and Tisha Bremner of Insightful Workplace Solutions led the panel. Instead of sticking to standard business advice, they told personal career stories and urged students to say yes to opportunities before feeling fully ready.
Nauhaus said leadership comes through practice, not books. Bremner said leadership goes beyond a title, calling it an art of becoming that shows in how people show up, innovate, motivate and respect others. The panelists also pointed students to the DISC model as a tool to understand how different people communicate and work.
Senior business major Aja Marzilli created the club to give women interested in business a community. Marzilli said networking among women blends personal talk with professional goals, which builds genuine connections. The club has since given dozens of students a first step toward professional confidence.
Second-year accounting major Maryam Alani said the panel boosted her confidence to attend USM’s Meet the Firms event. She asked how the CEOs handle criticism, and Bremner replied by asking who she really was. Alani answered that she is powerful. Millard told students that employers value spirit first and teach skills later.
