Wellesley, MA, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Babson College today announced the naming of the Frank & Eileen^™ Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership after a generous gift from Audrey McLoghlin, Founder and CEO of globally recognized clothing brand Frank & Eileen^™. The Frank & Eileen^™ Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (F&E CWEL) resides within the Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Babson College. The mission of Frank & Elieen^™ is to elevate women entrepreneurial leaders as a force for good.

“Collaborating with the country’s #1 entrepreneurship program means the world to us, especially given Babson’s dedicated Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership,” said McLoghlin. “To support young women as they embark on a journey to fulfill their dreams is a privilege we do not take lightly.”

McLoghlin’s connection to Babson College began in 2022 when she fully funded an annual MBA scholarship. The work of F&E CWEL and Babson’s approach to entrepreneurship education is in line with McLoghlin’s personal commitment to supporting women leaders. F&E CWEL focuses on mentorship, leadership programs, and venture accelerators for early startups founded by women, and this gift will enhance those programs.

“This gift is transformational and will propel women entrepreneurs to new levels of success and shape the future of entrepreneurship, equality, and education,” said Dr. Shakenna K. Williams ’94, executive director of F&E CWEL.

McLoghlin’s gift comes at a critical time for women in entrepreneurship. According to Babson’s 2021/22 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Women’s entrepreneurship report, women in the United States are highly likely to believe that entrepreneurship is a good career choice (78%), slightly more so than men (75%). However, the GEM report shows that fewer women feel capable of entrepreneurship, exhibiting a significant gender gap (57% of women, 72% of men).

Closing these gaps and promulgating diversity, equity, and inclusion are among Babson’s most critical objectives. As part of the Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership, which builds entrepreneurial leaders with empathy, morality, compassion, and drive to produce scalable solutions that can benefit individuals, communities, and the world, the Frank & Eileen™ Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership will continue to scale and grow programs and solutions that provide opportunity, connection, and sustainability in support of women’s leadership.

“Babson has long been committed to supporting women entrepreneurs, and was the first major comprehensive center focused on women's entrepreneurial leaders at a premier school of business,” said Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD, president of Babson College. “Through this generous gift, our focus and support of women’s leadership will thrive and grow.”

About Babson College:

Based in Wellesley, MA, Babson College specializes in providing a premier business education through a unique entrepreneurial lens to produce highly effective leaders across all industries. Babson College has been revolutionizing business education since its founding in 1919 and is credited as the creator of entrepreneurship education. With a world-class alumni network that includes some of the most impactful executives in organizations of all kinds, Babson College prepares and empowers its students to become entrepreneurial leaders who add sustainable, economic, and social value everywhere. For more information visit: http://babson.edu/.

About Frank & Eileen^™:

Frank & Eileen was born in 2009 when former engineer Audrey McLoghlin sought to reinvent the button-up for women—a category previously focused solely on men. Inspired by Audrey’s Irish grandparents—our brand namesakes, Frank and Eileen—we have grown slowly and intentionally from our best-Italian-fabric-in-the-world-obsessed beginnings. Now a globally recognized fashion brand, Frank & Eileen is a certified woman-owned, women-led business that has retained 100% ownership while working with the same ethical, sustainable manufacturers for over a decade. Our mission is to model and support female entrepreneurship as a force for good—all from our family-friendly HQ in sunny California.