Center for Women and Business Team Bios
As Executive Director, Yaro leads the CWB's mission-driven work to leverage industry expertise and academia to advance women's leadership in business from the classroom to the boardroom. She partners with the staff and CWB's stakeholder community to develop and deliver programs informed by research and best practices. She serves as a subject matter expert on leadership development for women and gender-variant folks and brings an intersectional feminist lens to the content the CWB produces. Yaro works with the program management and facilitation teams to optimize sales, corporate partner engagement, and content delivery. In addition, Yaro works within the Bentley community of students, faculty, administrators, and university centers to maintain and foster collaborative university-wide relationships that achieve Bentley's commitment to community partnerships, its mission, and core values.
A sought-after speaker and facilitator, Yaro has extensive experience in organizational development and management, including facilitating racial equity initiatives, diversity, and inclusion, strategy development, leadership coaching, and change management. Yaro leads Bentley Executive Education’s DEI Champions Certificate and will be launching a new program in the fall, Strategies for Emerging Leaders.
Yaro is currently pursuing a doctorate in Organizational Leadership Psychology at William James, holds an M.S. in Organizational Change Management from The New School, a B.A. in Sociology from Barnard College, and Clark Wilson’s 360 feedback Task Cycle Survey Certification. Yaro serves as Past-President of the Executive Committee of the New York Center for the Study of Groups, Organizations and Social Systems, and is a certified consultant and member of the A.K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems.
Laura Jackson Young graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in December 2014 with a PhD in Economics. She is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at Bentley University. Her research and teaching interests focus on applied macroeconomics and monetary policy.
As Director of Program Operations, Becky McDougal develops strategy and improves team efficiencies and collaboration within the CWB. She manages onboarding practices, training, and supports the program facilitation delivery team. She leads and executes our signature events including Gearing Up and the Executive Working Group. She also works with organizations to design workshops tailored to their specific workforce inclusion needs.
Prior to Bentley, Becky was an Event Manager at Combined Jewish Philanthropies, managing programs for their Professional Networks, Women’s Philanthropy, and Planned Giving, creating a vibrant Jewish community in Boston and beyond. Previously she worked at CBI, managing over thirty domestic and international lifescience conferences annually to support continuing education.
Becky was named 2019 Meeting Planner of the Year by MPI New England for her work engaging members in diversity and inclusion topics as they relate to the industry, and in 2020 served on their board as Director of Education and Chair of DE&I to lead educational programs and guide the association’s strategy on diversity, equity, and inclusion. She holds an Executive Certificate in Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Management from Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership. Becky earned her degree in Marketing from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, with a minor in Sociology.
Dominique Wilburn serves as the Assist Director of Programs for the Center for Women and Business and Executive Education at Bentley University. In her role, Dominique is responsible for the successful delivery of Bentley’s corporate education offerings and the overall logistical arrangements for Executive Education and CWB training programs. She oversees the development and implementation processes required to effectively deliver a wide variety of custom corporate programs, provides input on program development, and manages critical relationships with corporate partners. Dominique also manages social media for the CWB.
Prior to Bentley, Dominique worked for a nonprofit study abroad provider where she developed and oversaw the implementation of a global diversity training program which educated international staff, faculty, and homestay families on matters of diversity, inclusion, discrimination, and mental health. She has a background in digital marketing and has worked in politics. She has been mentioned in a number of publications, including the New York Times and the Better Business Bureau’s Magazine’s spotlight on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Dominique earned her BA in Liberal Arts from Drew University where she majored in Political Science. She is currently enrolled in the MBA program with a concentration in Leadership at Bentley University.
Eleni serves as Program Manager for the Center for Women and Business and Executive Education at Bentley University. She provides project and client-relationship management for our corporate education programs and partnerships. This includes engaging in client communication and planning, as well as delivering virtual and in-person programs. She conducts research on relevant DE&I topics while supervising and mentoring student interns. In addition, she provides administrative, social media, and tech support to the team.
Previously as an Investment Operations Analyst at Global Atlantic Financial Group, she supported the Real Estate, Specialty Finance, and Transportation investment teams where she maintained relationships with third party servicers, executed investment fundings, and managed assets through their life cycle.
Eleni is a Bentley Alumni and earned her BS in Economics and Finance with a minor in Computer Information Systems. She is currently enrolled in the MBA program with a concentration in Leadership at Bentley University.
Razan serves as Program Manager for the Center for Women and Business (CWB) and Executive Education at Bentley University. She provides project and client-relationship management for our corporate education programs and partnerships. This includes engaging in client communication and planning, as well as delivering virtual and in-person programs. She supports the CWB’s signature Gearing Up Conference.
Before joining the team at Bentley, Razan served as Vice President and Program Coordinator for Women Accelerators - an organization passionate about promoting the advancement of women. In this role, she aided in the strategic planning and execution of programs, managed relationships with stakeholders, and initiated several projects. Over the course of her career, Razan has led professional mentoring and coaching programs that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within organizations. In 2019, she was recognized by the BPWA and the Embassy of Sweden in Jordan for an outstanding research paper outlining recommendations that addresses challenges and fosters women’s economic participation.
Razan earned her BS in Biology at University of Kentucky, and her MBA in management at German Jordan University.
Tara serves as the Administrative Assistant for the Gloria Cordes Larson Center for Women and Business at Bentley University. In her role, Tara provides administrative support to the Executive Director and other members of the department, aids in the program delivery process, and assists with the CWB’s social media presence. She plays a key role in researching topics around intersectionality and equity that will help amplify the Center’s advocacy for women and gender variant individuals.
Before joining Bentley University, Tara served as an Assistant Manager at a retail clothing store that specializes in body positivity and acceptance. In her spare time, she served as a mentor where she helped individuals navigate their path to college by working with them on college entry essays and paperwork. At her alma mater, Framingham State University, Tara was an Academic Success Peer Tutor where she mentored those on academic probation and helped students learn time management and organizational skills. Her passion for creativity and the arts is just as deep as her passion for developing and advocating for others.
Tara earned her BA in Communication Arts, Integrated Visual Media at Framingham State University in 2017. She is currently enrolled in the MBA program with a concentration in Marketing at Bentley University.