The career of Jacquelyn Fredrick, for example, has progressed “with greater opportunity than I would have imagined.”

She began as program director of a service line at BloodCenter of Wisconsin and “then received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop national programs for the American Red Cross in Biomedical Services.” She led the largest blood program in the world at the Red Cross, then returned to the BloodCenter as president and CEO, the organization’s first female CEO.

The MBA degree is often a requirement for senior leadership positions, she notes, in addition to supplying the knowledge and skills that support advanced leadership.

“I could not have successfully advanced my career without the experience and learning that I gained through the Executive MBA Program,” she says.

Supportive Programs
In 2010, 26 percent of Executive MBA students were women, according to results of Executive MBA Council research.

To boost the number of women in Executive MBA classes, many Executive MBA Programs offer scholarships and fellowships for female students, as well as mentoring initiatives and other programs that are designed to support women as they pursue their MBA.