March 31, 2023
Women's History 365: Meet Brooklyn Fondaw and Marcia Hornung
Submitted by Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Kansas State University's Brooklyn Fondaw and Marcia Hornung support women and promote diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at the university.
Brooklyn Fondaw, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging intern for the College of Business Administration and junior in marketing, created and coordinated the B-Proud, of business proud, LGBTQ+ and Ally Career Fair event to provide the opportunity to network and build connections.
B-Proud LGBTQ+ and Ally Career Fair took place on March 7. The organizations, businesses and recruiters that attended were all active allies and supporters of the LGBTQ+ community. Students of all majors were encouraged to attend to interact with various companies from different industries. The goal of the event was to offer students an opportunity to identify companies for internships and full-time jobs as well as local community organizations or clubs where they feel safe and can be their authentic selves.
“As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it can be hard to identify companies where I and others can feel confident that we will be in a comfortable working environment," said Fondaw. "This event is for everyone. Whether you’re part of the community or not, everyone deserves to feel able to be their authentic selves.”
Marcia Hornung has developed and launched several signature programs for the College of Business. Hornung serves as the Menard Family director of the Center for Principled Business. She directs the Menard Family Scholars Program, the K-State Business Innovation Challenge, the College of Business Administration High School Summer Institute and the Women in Business Initiative. Hornung is a bridge-builder who focuses on connecting future students, current students, alumni and industry partners to one another.
The Women in Business Initiative hosts its signature event, the K-State Women in Business Career Summit, every fall semester to empower, educate and engage female-identifying high school students, K-State students and alumnae. More than $40,000 in scholarships have been awarded in the first two years of the career summit, supporting recruitment and retention of high-potential female students.
Hornung has secured key alumni speakers and corporate sponsors for the career summit, including Leanne Caret, executive vice president, senior advisor and former CEO at Boeing Defense, Space and Security; Danielle Calhoun, vice president, inclusive practices at Weber Shandwick; Natacha Buchanan, chief diversity officer at ConocoPhillips; and Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins; chief executive officer at PAI.
In 2022, Hornung received the Women Entrepreneur Advocate of the Year award from Spark, a regional entrepreneurship support organization.
The third annual K-State Women in Business Career Summit is scheduled for Monday, November 13. Visit the Women in Business Initiative website to learn more and get involved.