Renowned Business Leader, Women’s Advocate Connie Duckworth to Speak at Colorado State University

Connie Duckworth, one of the most respected women in the United States business community, will speak at Colorado State University about her career and her role in providing business opportunities for women in strife-torn Afghanistan.

“A Conversation with Connie Duckworth” begins at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3, at the Lory Student Center Theatre. The 90-minute event is free and open to the public.

Duckworth, who retired in 2001 as a partner and managing director of Goldman Sachs, has been a vocal advocate for women in business throughout her career. She made history at Goldman Sachs when she became the first woman in the firm’s history to be named a sales and trading partner, and she has been an outspoken supporter of women in business since retiring.

She co-authored “The Old Girls’ Network: Insider Advice for Women Building Businesses in a Man’s World” and chaired the Committee of 200, a professional organization comprised of the most powerful female entrepreneurs and corporate executives in the nation.

In 2004, she founded ARZU (which means “hope” in Dari) to give destitute women weavers in Afghanistan an outlet for their handcrafted rugs. Starting with 30 weavers, ARZU now employs 700 women, providing access to education and basic healthcare, seeding multiple micro-business start-ups, building community centers, pre-schools and parks, and creating award-winning fair-labor rugs.

The event, hosted by the College of Liberal Arts and the Division of Student Affairs, includes a post-talk reception for Duckworth.
 

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