Women’s business advocate Susan Phillips Bari will give a talk on successful entrepreneurship from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 15, at 1670 Litton Reaves Hall at Virginia Tech. The event, which will include a question-and-answer session, is free and open to the public, no tickets required.

Bari is the founding president of the Washington, D.C.-based Women's Business Enterprise National Council. In her talk, "Just Say Yes," she will discuss how to become an entrepreneur, the personality and character traits needed for success, and how entrepreneurs can maximize their creativity and tenacity.

“There is an alternative to getting a job after school,” said Bari, “and that is creating a job for yourself and others.” Bari has more than 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, public policy advocate, and non-profit executive and has spoken about successful entrepreneurship at national and international conferences and in the business media. She has written two books: Partnering for Profit: Success Strategies for Tomorrow’s Supply Chain and Breaking Through: Creating Opportunities for America’s Women and Minority-Owned Businesses.

Bari earned an MBA from Virginia Tech in 1985. She is a member of the Pamplin Advisory Council and has served on the university’s board of visitors. Her campus visit is sponsored by the Pamplin College of Business’ management department as part of its entrepreneurship speaker series and is supported by the college’s Warren Lloyd Holtzman Small Business Consulting Fund.

Virginia Tech’s nationally ranked Pamplin College of Business offers undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting and information systems, business information technology, economics, finance, hospitality and tourism management, management, and marketing. The college emphasizes the development of ethical values and leadership, technology, and international business skills. A member of its marketing faculty directs the interdisciplinary Sloan Foundation Forest Industries Center at Virginia Tech. The college’s other centers focus on business leadership, electronic commerce, and organizational performance. The college is committed to serving business and society through the expertise of its faculty, alumni, and students. It is named in honor of Robert B. Pamplin (BAD ’33), the former CEO of Georgia-Pacific, and his son, businessman and philanthropist Robert B. Pamplin Jr. (BAD ’64).

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