Bruin Spotlight: Jennifer Openshaw ʼ88, MBA ʼ98

Jennifer Openshaw was speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos when she had the idea for Girls With Impact (GWI), a program to give girls the skills and confidence they need to succeed in business. At Davos, global leaders emphasized that organizations should hire and promote women to tap into an unclaimed $12 trillion in global economic growth, as cited by McKinsey. Instead of trying to fix corporate culture, Openshaw decided to reach out to the next generation of future leaders. She says, “I believe it's more important than ever to invest in women.”

The Silicon Valley entrepreneur, author and Dow Jones columnist had a successful career in finance, a personal history of financial struggle and a passion for women’s success, which made her ideal for the role. Since that day in Davos, Girls With Impact has educated more than 18,000 girls tuition-free, becoming the nation's leading online business education tool.

Openshaw is a double Bruin, with a bachelor’s degree in communications and an MBA in finance. At age seven, she watched as her single mother worked two full-time waitressing jobs to make ends meet. To make this possible, she had to step in to care for her younger brothers. Witnessing her mother’s struggles shaped Openshaw’s future choices and would be a spark for Girls With Impact.

At age 14, she began working as a motel maid to earn spending money. To put herself through college, she held multiple jobs, including working for former city controller and UCLA dean Rick Tuttle. She says, “I wanted to have a better life and do something bigger.”

Unable to afford her first college, she transferred twice, landing at UCLA. She says, “I was lucky that a couple of people took me under their wing. It opened so many new and important doors and gave me an incredible start to my career.” As finance director for UCLA's Internship Association, she lowered the cost of student internships by launching the entrepreneurial “Bruin Bear Market” furniture sale and a cookbook of politicians’ recipes.

After graduation, she began a career in California politics as press secretary for California State Treasurer Kathleen Brown. She returned to UCLA to earn her MBA, transitioning her focus to the financial industry. She moved to Silicon Valley and created Women's Financial Network, the first online financial services firm for women, which was later acquired by Muriel Siebert. By 2000, she was named one of the Internet’s 25 Rising Stars.

Her career has been focused on helping consumers, especially women, with their finances. She has shared her wisdom on shows including Oprah, Good Morning America and NBC Nightly News. CBS MarketWatch founder Larry Kramer called her “one of the most outspoken proponents for empowering women to control their financial lives.”

To make her vision for Girls With Impact a reality, Openshaw partnered with business leaders and educators to develop a program designed to ensure young women will excel in the workforce. Drawing on her Silicon Valley experience, she says, “I invested my own money and don't take a salary. I saw an opportunity to create something scalable for girls who don't have financial wealth, hoping to change their futures.”

The program is offered to public high schools, colleges and community organizations, and recently partnered with LAUSD. When asked, students say they want to find a way to build skills, innovate and differentiate themselves in the college, internship and career application process. She says, “Having our program on their résumé gives them a major competitive edge. Parents share that employers don't often see young women with this kind of real business background.”

The signature program of Girls With Impact is the Business & Leadership Academy, where students learn the basics of bringing an entrepreneurial idea to life by developing a business plan, pitch presentation and prototype. She says, “Their confidence literally does a 180-degree turn, and they show improvements in the work readiness skills that companies seek. They also earn a LinkedIn credential.”

Girls With Impact graduates include Anika Mistry, who secured three full-ride college offers and now attends Johns Hopkins University. For her GWI project, she developed DevMind VR, a virtual reality solution for improving the lives of children with autism. For her project, GWI graduate Jayla Thomas took her grandmother’s hot sauce recipes and turned them into a business called Thomas Family Tasting Hot Sauce, building a website and marketing package. She graduated from Howard University debt-free and now works for Girls With Impact.

Girls with Impact wants to meet students where they are, and is delivered live online by an instructor. Openshaw says, “This means that if a student doesn't have transportation, or if they're in the middle of Iowa, or even if they're taking care of a younger sibling, they can still participate.” For those who need immediate help with an upcoming interview or presentation, they offer an on-call mentoring program staffed by volunteers.

Openshaw says, “For about five years now, we've been recruiting instructors for our signature program, the Business & Leadership Academy, from business schools and alumni networks. These instructors aren't academics; they're people who have been out in the real world, and we embed them into our program.”

UCLA Bruin Mitra Best ’87, PricewaterhouseCoopers partner and technology impact leader, is a GWI Board Member. She has said about the program, “As leaders, we must support programs that position the next generation for success. GWI empowers young women to achieve and exceed their career goals through its world-class curriculum and curated mentorship. I’m proud of the results and excited about scaling the program to reach even more young women across the U.S.”

Girls With Impact is debuting She Leads Clubs, where students receive a toolkit to lead a club at their school. She says, “An excellent example of a topic covered might be how to find and get a recommendation – something no one teaches. The latest studies show over 80% of students feel unprepared for a job after college. We feel we're at a very exciting place, but we've only scratched the surface; the need is immense.”

Openshaw’s next goal is to increase the number of girls she serves, from 20,000 to 50,000 students. She is looking for philanthropists who want to get involved. She says, “We have the platform to train a million young women easily. Our only limitation is financial resources. This is a chance to leave a real legacy by changing the trajectory for women in the business world. The World Economic Forum identifies two key prongs for achieving true equal representation for women globally: more women in government and more women in business. We are a leader in the business space, offering a wonderful opportunity for people to make a lasting impact.”

Learn more about Girls With Impact and how you can help.