Fox Foundation

Women in Business Club

Brooks, of Michael J. Fox Foundation, Talks Careers at Women in Business Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — October 24, 2007

CONTACT: Katie Riolo, 603-646-1135

HANOVER, N.H.—A mostly female crowd of current and prospective Tuck School of Business students eagerly gathered to hear the words of a woman who had once walked in their shoes. Deborah Brooks, a 1986 Tuck graduate and president and co-founder of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, addressed the crowd as keynote speaker for the third annual Women in Business (WIB) Conference at Tuck on September 24, 2007.

And what advice did Brooks give to this group of ambitious women, each hoping to make her mark in the business world?

"Give yourself permission not to have a plan," Brooks said. "Business school is a compressed experience that can set you up to feel compelled to always have a plan—but don't."

Brooks' own story is a case-in-point for the no-plan strategy. From humble beginnings, Brooks became the first person in her family to go to college. At the College of William & Mary she majored in economics. (Because that's the major you choose when you don't know what you want to do with your life, she explained with a smile.) After college, Brooks worked for a bank in Philadelphia, attended Tuck, then joined Goldman Sachs. After nine successful years with Goldman, she decided to leave to complete a master's degree in social work "to expand my way of thinking." Then she shifted into the nonprofit sector. Of this career path, Brooks said, "I could not have charted that course if my life depended on it."

But, Brooks made clear that besides letting go of the best-laid plans, there is more to be done. Learn who you are and where you belong, she advised. During her own career journey, Brooks discovered that she was an entrepreneur—which, she said, is really a builder and not an inventor. This talent led her to help build the Michael J. Fox Foundation, a deeply rewarding experience.

"It's important to know yourself and to seek out an exceptional environment," Brooks said. "When you thrive, not only are you more happy, but you are delivering more."

The audience feedback was positive, and a sense of optimism filled the room.

"Here is an incredibly successful woman who has walked through these very halls of Tuck," said Anne Forsyth T'08, director of alumnae for Tuck's Women in Business club. "I was surprised—yet reassured—to hear such straightforward advice."

Additional conference speakers included Christine Comaford-Lynch, CEO and founder of Mighty Ventures, and Dawna Clarke, director of admissions at Tuck.

Conference sponsors included John Deere (signature sponsor) Morgan Stanley (platinum sponsor), Bain & Company, Hartford Investment Management, PepsiCo (gold sponsor), and many others.

Founded in 1900, Tuck is the first graduate school of management in the country and consistently ranks among the top business schools worldwide.