Reaching Out 2003: Fifth Annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender MBA Student Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—March 19, 2003

CONTACT: Kim Keating—603-646-2733

HANOVER, N.H.—Over the weekend of April 4, the nation's top MBA students, including those from the Tuck School of Business, will host "Reaching Out 2003," the fifth annual conference dedicated to issues surrounding lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgendered people (LGBT) in the business world.

This year's conference will be held in New York City and will focus on the increasing importance of LGBT visibility in corporate and public life and the need for strong networks in an era of downsizing and budget cuts.

Reaching Out 2003 is expected to be the largest event in the history of the conference, with an estimated attendance of 500. Participants will include MBA students and alumni, business executives, and leaders from the LGBT community. Students from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, Columbia University's Graduate School of Business, and New York University Stern School of Business are organizing the conference.

The first night of the conference will include networking sessions in which business students and alumni will meet with other LGBT professionals from six industries, including banking, consulting, marketing and general management, entrepreneurship, and media and entertainment.

The keynote speakers include Allan Gilmour, vice chairman and CFO of Ford Motor Company; Shelly Meyers, chairwoman and CEO of Meyers Capital Management LLC; and Reggie Van Lee, vice president and managing partner of Booz Allen Hamilton.

The conference is sponsored by lead sponsors Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and event sponsors American Express, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte Consulting, Lehman Brothers, Credit Suisse First Boston, and Booz Allen Hamilton. All of these corporations donate money, time, and other resources in the belief that diversity in the workplace is vital. As companies begin to offer domestic partnership benefits, prevent discrimination, and sponsor LGBT events, they are also increasing leadership opportunities for gay and lesbian MBAs.

"What's unique and very powerful about this conference," says Shelly Meyers, a 1994 graduate of Tuck, "is that it brings together members of the LGBT community who also happen to be students in top MBA programs. This is a conference of the best and brightest, and it creates a fantastic, interschool network that will help produce great leaders in both the business world and in our communities."

For easy access to information and registration, the conference has launched an interactive website at www.reachingoutmba.org.

Founded in 1900, Tuck is the first graduate school of management and consistently ranks among the top business schools worldwide. Information about the Tuck School is available at www.tuck.dartmouth.edu.