Our mission is to grow a community of thriving GSB alumni. Women’s Circles are small groups of GSB alumni who gather monthly to talk about their lives.
Circles create meaningful relationships between GSB alumni as they connect with and support each other — both personally and professionally
GSB Women’s Circles are formed only once a year and are open to all self-identified women who attended Stanford GSB.
Members are asked to commit to at least one year in a Circle, to allow time for development of trust and mutual understanding. Circles are composed to promote diversity, across generations, industries, family status, children, and more, to enrich the wisdom and life experience members share with one another.
All alumni who are interested in the promotion of women, transgender, and gender non-binary individuals are invited to participate.
Only graduates of Stanford GSB degree programs, specifically MBA, PhD, SEP, and MSx, are eligible for circle membership and will be invited to annual kickoffs.
We talk. We share. We support and encourage.
GSB Women’s Circles offer a great way to dive deeper into topics we all care about — but rarely get to discuss — with those who face similar challenges. A Circle is a place to slow down, reflect, let your hair down, be inspired by others, connect, and support each other.
Circles are not networking groups or business opportunities.
Circles are formed once a year during annual community kickoffs in the fall, which all alumnae of Stanford degree programs are invited to attend. To join a Circle, participation is required in one of the kickoff events. You are encouraged to participate in your region’s kickoff, but may join any of them.
In the fall, all GSB alumnae will receive an invitation for the kickoffs with registration details. Registration information will also be available here on the GSB Women’s Circles page. To ensure that you receive the annual invitation, check that your current email address and other contact information is correct in the Stanford Alumni Directory.
At the kickoff, you will meet Circle members in your region and have an opportunity to ask questions about Circles. You will learn more about the level of commitment expected from a Circle member and local Circles’ activities. After attending the kickoff, you will be sent a Circle formation survey and invited to make a commitment to join a local Circle.
If you are interested in joining a local Circle but cannot attend the annual community kickoff, please email us.
After the annual community kickoff, all participants will be sent a Circle formation survey. If after the kickoff, you decide to join a Circle and commit to participating in a Circle for one year, we would be delighted to welcome you! Membership in each Circle is carefully crafted by Stanford GSB staff and Circle leadership to promote diversity across generations, industries, family status, children, and more. Diversity expands the scope of wisdom and life experience members share.
The survey will help identify your placement in Circles by taking into consideration scheduling and geographic preferences, among other variables identified through the registration survey. In early November, members will be notified of their Circle placement. Circle meetings will begin in January 2021.
Members may join either an In-person Circle in an existing region (which will meet virtually until it is safe to meet in-person) or a Virtual-only Circle (based on time zone and proximity). For both In-person and Virtual Circles, days of the week and meeting times are determined by preferences of the women who join a Circle.
In-Person Meetings
In-person Circles meet monthly for two hours at a time, either at the member’s home or office space. Meetings may be at the same location throughout the year or be rotated among members as they choose.
Virtual Meetings
Virtual-only Circles are typically one to one and a half hours and membership is based on time zone and proximity.
Each Circle has two alumni volunteer Co-Leaders.
Circle Co-Leaders create an environment of safety and trust in which all members’ voices are heard. Co-Leaders encourage deep and meaningful conversations.
Co-Leaders receive thoughtfully curated agendas prior to each Circle meeting and handle any logistical work needed between meetings.
If you are interested in volunteering to become a circle Co-Leader, email us or submit an interest form.
In-person Circles (currently virtual until it is safe to meet again) are organized in 17 geographic regions in the U.S. and internationally. If you are interested in bringing in-person GSB Women’s Circles to your location, submit an interest form.
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Virtual-only Circles are expanding worldwide and will be organized based on time zone and proximity.
