Women in Business Group to Host Kick-Off Event

The Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commers Women in Business group will host its kick off event Thursday at the Mount Vernon Athletic Club.

The group recently formed to fill the need for a women’s business group in the Mount Vernon area, member and business owner Hilaire Henthorne said.

“I was talking to [Chamber President] Barbara Doyle about some of the wellness talks I was giving to women, and I was concerned about women in Northern Virginia not having the support they need,” Henthorne, owner of Passionate Purpose Coaching, said. “She told me that there was a new committee they were trying to form.”

Henthorne joined the group and began discussing ways to reach out to businesswomen and entrepreneurs in the Mount Vernon area. There is a series of four events planned for businesswomen to attend and learn more about different topics, including stress reduction and women’s wellness.

“The main idea of the group is: we want to support women in business by providing educational and networking opportunities to help them grow personally and professionally,” Henthorne explained.

Thursday’s event is the Women in Business kick off. The first hour will consist of a wine and cheese networking reception where guests can meet Chamber members. The second hour will feature a panel discussion and Q&A with four successful businesswomen in the Mount Vernon community.

The panel includes Barbara Doyle, CEO of Inova Mt.Vernon Hospital, Jane Gandee, Owner of ServiceMaster of Alexandria, Karena Rasser, President of Top It Off Accessories, and Sonja Caison, Owner of The Cleaning Authority.

For more information and to register, visit the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce website.