Man-tors and Mentors, It Takes Us All

DIVERSITY IN ACTION. PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS(r) embraces our mission to empower women with every fiber of our collective being. And likewise we embrace diversity. So, lest our touting #womenempoweringwomen gave the impression otherwise, we thought it was high time to shine a light on an important part of our program across our 11 years of serving women entrepreneurs: men. Or, as we like to call them around the Institute: man-tors. Mentorship is a key component of PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS(r), and in fact, often the most beloved portion of students’ tracks of business training. Our goal is to bring the best of the best to our graduates, so that they learn the premiere practices to take back to their home countries upon completion of Leadership Development.

Mark Wagner, Major in the US Air Force, gives of his personal time to the women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and Rwanda who matriculated through PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS(r). Having served in Afghanistan himself in Provincial Reconstruction Teams, he is uniquely qualified to mentor a student like Zuhal Askarimi, whose logistics company seeks to prove a woman can break into a male-dominated field. A fifth year mentor, Mark gathered a team of airmen to join him in working with Zuhal to build her business plan across the 10-weeks of in-country classes earlier this year. The men, pictured above, reported that they enjoyed coming together to give back and contribute their knowledge toward our greater good. In fact, we have been so wowed by Mark’s dedication these past years, that we recently invited him to join our National Advisory Committee.

Man-tors, we know, aren’t the only male stars within the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS(r) galaxy. The women who enroll in Rwanda and Afghanistan consistently tell us that men in their lives…fathers, brothers, sons, husbands, friends…have encouraged and supported them on their paths to entrepreneurial excellence. In countries where women still fight to secure even the most basic of rights, this is a huge gift and one that needs to be recognized as it’s often given in silence without public recognition. Thank you to all the men who have given to the women of PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS(r), from the smallest nod of support to the largest gift of time that Mark Wagner and company give, we salute you!

Meet students and man-tors alike at our wholly unique International Women’s Economic Summit & Graduation Gala on July 21 in Dallas: Buy a Ticket.

Or follow along on Facebook as we share our students’ stories.

Zuhal Askarimi, 2017 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS(r) grad, runs her logistics company with a spirit to “serve her country and her people”.

Together, We Are Paving the Road to Peace.

The Rwandan and Afghan women entrepreneurs selected for Leadership Development have almost completed their visa visits in changing global tides. To say I am thrilled to introduce you to these almost-30 impressive entrepreneurs is an understatement.

Let this be the year you join us as a guest, volunteer or mentor (yes, we still need just a few more!). Buy a ticket to a July event or drop us line and see how you can get involved.

Together we are paving the road to peace, one woman at a time.

Best wishes,

Dr. Terry Neese