ABOUT US
We're more than just business!
We want to help our members grow both professionally and personally! Along with our weekly networking meetings and workshops we have club socials, member bonding events, and more.
What We Do
Philanthropy
Members will have the chance to have a hand in fundraising and volunteering opportunities to connect and give back to both the UW community along with the local Seattle community, working directly with small businesses.
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Networking
UWiB is constantly growing, which offers invaluable opportunities to connect with fellow students. We also provide members with the chance to network with professionals and to build genuine relationships with them.
Guest Speakers
Members can learn from professionals with first hand experience in the working world. We host speakers from many different industries and positions. Guest speakers are a great way to build connections and grow your network.
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Socials
Members can meet like minded individuals and build meaningful connections that will last a long time! UWiB hosts a variety of different socials to build the relationships between members and the exec team.
Workshops
Learn and develop skills that will take you far in your professional career and allow you to grow as an individual. Members can inspire and support each other in reaching their goals.
Our Story
It was the year 2005, winter quarter, in the Business Communications 301 course at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business where two young women, Amber Waisanen and Raychael Jensen, first met.
Complete strangers, the two were assigned to the same group project. The team set out to conduct research on analyzing the premier Business Schools in the nation. Amber was browsing the University of Pennsylvania website and noticed that there was a Wharton Women in Business Club that took precedence as the most popular and recognized student organization on campus. After researching their own university’s student organizations, to their great surprise, the two realized that the University of Washington didn’t have an undergraduate women in business student organization already established.
After wrapping up their project, Amber and Raychael discovered they shared a passion for serving their community and giving back to the university and community at large. They wanted to start an organization that would provide the undergraduate population with the knowledge and resources they needed to become more effective and powerful business leaders while making a positive impact on the business community.
Several months later as summer began to set in, the two met over coffee dates in order to develop a plan to establish the Undergraduate Women in Business (UWiB) Association at the University of Washington. The underlying mission was simple - to connect and prepare the Next Generation of Female Business Leaders.
Amber and Raychael spent the summer of 2005 working hard to build key relationships with successful women business leaders in the community, garnering their support and network to build the foundation for UWiB. After much planning, relationship building, and support garnering, Amber and Raychael officially kicked off their recruiting efforts for the founding team in the Fall quarter of 2005. Working hard to build the perfect team, they drafted key positions and conducted countless interviews, resulting in an amazing founding executive team.
Collectively the team developed the founding constitution of UWiB which detailed the organization’s mission, goals, and structure. In December 2005, UWiB was officially recognized as a student organization at the University of Washington. Our kick-off event featured then CEO of REI, Sally Jewell. UWiB is fortunate to receive continued support from our founding executive team and our entire alumni base. In January 2016, UWiB proudly celebrated our 10 year anniversary. In January 2026, UWiB held a 20 year anniversary celebration, with current members and alum all in attendance. With two decades of UW UWiB, we look forward to the next decade of UWiB and continuing to connect and prepare the next generation of female business leaders.
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Celebrating 20 Years!
In 2026, UWiB celebrated it's 20th anniversary with a reunion of past and present UWiB members and alum. We heard from Amber Waisanen (UWiB co-founder), Leta Beard (UWiB faculty advisor), and AAB (UWiB's Alumni Advisory Board). It was very special to see generations of UWiB connect in the same room with alums reuniting and new members seeing the real impact of UWiB on career journeys!
