Seven years ago, Nadia Stoyanovea-Lyttle turned to Dress for Success Boston, a grantee partner of the Women’s Foundation of Boston, for help. She came to the organization unemployed and uncertain of her future. Thanks to the organization’s support and programming, Nadia now shares her experiences with others who seek their services.
Nadia’s Story
Nadia was introduced to Dress for Success Boston after finishing an MBA program. She was struggling to find a job and feeling overwhelmed. She enrolled in Dress to Success Boston’s free six-week workshop series on interviewing, resume writing, and business etiquette. After completing the series, Nadia and the other women in the program took time to shop in the Dress for Success Boston boutique, choosing professional clothing to complete their experience. This shopping event, they call suiting, is a key step heading into the interview process. When asked about the importance of this piece of the program, Executive Director Kim Todd shared, “You can’t ace an interview unless you feel confident that you will ace it. I think having the right clothing and entering an interview looking the part changes your outlook. Building confidence is at the heart of what we do for women.”
Soon after completing the workshop series, Nadia achieved her goal of starting a career. She found an opportunity in software sales for a start-up company. The other participants in her group also successfully found employment soon after graduation. Through their shared experience, Nadia and her workshop cohorts formed a close-knit group that continues to support one another to this day. In reflecting on her experience, Stoyanovea-Lyttle shared, “The difference between how our group started and how we finished the program was drastic. As we graduated, we all knew how much worth each of us could bring to the table.”
Stepping Up to Empower Others
While this could be a happy ending to Nadia’s story with Dress for Success Boston, the journey continues for both her and her cohorts. The organization encourages its clients to join the Dress for Success Professional Women’s Group to stay connected with the organization and each other. This Group offers a place where graduates meet to share insight and help each other personally and professionally.
Inspired by her life-changing experience, Nadia now gives back to this remarkable organization. She tells her transformative story to anyone who will listen and wholeheartedly endorses the organization’s empowerment of women. Nadia talks to future clients, existing clients, potential donors, and alumni in hopes that they will benefit from her knowledge. “I will take every opportunity I can to promote and advocate for the power of these supportive women in this place, where you can be yourself and feel empowered to stand your ground,” Stoyanova-Lyttle conveyed.
As Tim McGraw once so elegantly expressed in the song Humble and Kind, “When you get where you’re going, don’t forget, turn back around and help the next one in line.” Nadia Stoyanovea-Lyttle is bringing that lyric to life. She is just one example of the trickle-down effect that happens when you empower women and girls to live their best lives.
Dress for Success Boston Instills Confidence
Before the pandemic, Dress for Success Boston served more than 1000 women per year. The challenges of the past two years have forced them to pivot to virtual programming, where they continue reaching hundreds of women. Their staff of four and volunteer group of over 100 works hard to carry out the mission of helping women achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and the development tools to thrive in work and life. According to Executive Director Kim Todd, “The heart of what we do is instill confidence in women so they can go out and do anything they put their minds to.” Todd added, “When women support one another, amazing things happen.”
Support Women and Girl-Centered Initiatives
Stories like this from the Foundation’s grantee partners demonstrate the need for your support. Statistics show the importance of investing in women and girl-centered programs:
- 90% of women reinvest their income in their families and communities.
- Only 1.9% of charitable giving is directed toward women and girl-serving organizations.
- Single women lead 70% of households living in poverty in Boston.
Nadia’s story is inspirational but not unique. Her season of giving does not end with the new year. She will continue to use her experience to help others follow their path to success. In the spirit of the season, please consider an end-of-year donation to the Women’s Foundation of Boston to help reach more women like Nadia in 2022. Every dollar donated goes directly to women and girl-focused organizations. To date, more than twenty organizations have received financial grants from the Foundation. Please consider donating today!
About the Women’s Foundation of Boston and Dress For Success Boston
Women’s Foundation of Boston economically empowers greater Boston women and girls by creating and funding high-impact leadership and economic programs in partnership with nonprofits serving women and girls solely. To learn more about WF Boston’s grantee partners, visit www.wfboston.org.
Dress for Success Boston is an affiliate of the Worldwide Dress for Success organization, which now has over 150 affiliates in 20 countries. Started in 2001 by Co-Founders Nancy Schneider and Enith Levine, Dress for Success Boston has since served over 14,000 women! Dress for Success Boston clients are referred to us from more than 500 agencies that are helping women gain self sufficiency in their lives. To learn more about Dress for Success Boston, visit www.boston.dressforsuccess.org.
Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, was named President and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 2016. She is also Director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Previously, she was the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean and Professor of Medicine of Weill Cornell Medicine and Provost for Medical Affairs of Cornell University. Dr. Glimcher is a distinguished immunologist, widely renowned for her work in one of the most promising areas of cancer research.
Linda Henry is the CEO of the Boston Globe Media Partners. She is a co-founder of HUBweek, a civic collaboration between the Boston Globe, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and MIT that explores the future being built at the intersection of art, science and technology. Linda is also an early-stage impact investor, an Emmy-Award winning television producer with two shows currently airing, and a community activist. She serves as a director of the Red Sox Foundation, is a trustee of the Liverpool Football Club Foundation, chair of the Boston Globe Foundation, and chairman of the John W. Henry Family Foundation. In addition, she is a founder of the Boston Public Market, serves on the advisory board of MassChallenge, and is on the board of the Engine at MIT. She earned a BS from Babson College and her MS from MIT.
Bekah Salwasser joined the Red Sox Foundation as the Executive Director in January of 2018. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Brown University and has extensive experience in philanthropy and both professional and semi-professional sports. After four years working as Community Relations Director for the Boston Celtics, Bekah went on to lead Scholar Athletes as its Executive Director, a program that supports public high school athletes with both their athletic and academic achievements. Earlier in her career, Bekah served as a professional soccer player for the Boston Breakers and as Executive Director of the Charlestown Lacrosse and Learning Center.
Kimberly Fay Boucher is a business executive who has driven high performance organizations in technology, consumer products and social enterprise/nonprofit industries over the past 25 years. She is currently the Technology Commercialization Business Leader for the CTO at Analog Devices, where she is responsible for driving new technologies from incubation stages to successful businesses. Kim is also a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where she teaches Disciplined Entrepreneurship in the Martin Trust Center. She holds a BS in Management Industrial Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is a NCAA Academic All-American Women’s Basketball player and has been inducted into the WPI Hall of Fame.
Ami Kuan Danoff (Co-Founder and CFO) is a private investor and the trustee of a foundation. She is a Harvard Quantum Founder and a member of the Harvard FAS Dean’s Council. Ami earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in Visual and Environmental Studies and holds a dual master’s degree in Applied Economics and International Finance from the Sloan School of Management at MIT. She was a portfolio manager in global equities at Putnam Investments and co-manager of the Putnam International New Opportunities Fund, and also worked as an international equities analyst at Fidelity Investments.
Christina Heenan Suh holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in English and Marketing and a master’s from Columbia University. A former management consultant, her work focused on strategy and implementation projects for Fortune 100 clients. She was also an account executive at Hill+Knowlton (WPP) marketing consumer packaged goods. As an Executive Board Member of the Brookline Education Foundation, which funds professional development in the Brookline Public Schools, Christina led their Grant and Oversight Committees. She currently sits on the board of the Brookline Library Foundation and teaches ESL at Rosie’s Place in Boston.
Christina Gordon (Co-Founder and CEO) holds a dual master’s degree in International Finance and Applied Economics from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Boston University and also studied for a joint master’s degree in Women’s Studies and Sociology at Brandeis with a focus on women in the workplace. Christina is a former assistant fund manager and technology industry equity analyst at Wellington Management. She also worked as a stock analyst at Fidelity Investments. She is a trustee of a private foundation, a member of Women Moving Millions and currently sits on the board of Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women in Boston.