Women Entrepreneurship Week 2021

A Global Celebration!

The 8th Annual Women Entrepreneurship Week was held October 18th – October 22nd, 2021.
We had over 250 colleges and universities from around the globe celebrate with us by organizing an event that featured a female founder – it was that easy!

We encourage you to start thinking about how your college or university can become involved in this global movement in 2022! For more information about how to participate, please contact entrepreneurs@montclair.edu.

WEW 2021 Event at MSU: October 20th

At Montclair State University, we celebrated WEW 2021 both virtually and in-person (with limited capacity) on October 20th.

For those who missed it, be sure to check out the full livestream.

Our celebration featured conversations with these amazing women entrepreneurs and many more:

Bobbi Brown: Makeup Artist and Founder and CCO, Jones Road Beauty

Bobbi Brown is a beauty industry titan, world-renowned makeup artist, best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and serial entrepreneur. As a professional makeup artist, Bobbi created the ten simple lipsticks that launched her billion-dollar brand, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. Bobbi left her namesake brand in 2016 to return to her roots as an entrepreneur, launching her venture Beauty Evolution LLC with three innovative brands. EVOLUTION_18 is a line of wellness and beauty ingestibles inspired by Bobbi’s certification as a health coach with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. justBOBBI.com is an editorial content platform that offers a look into the world of Bobbi. With her husband she also reimagined The George, a design-minded boutique hotel in Montclair, NJ. She is the author of nine best-selling books and host of iHeart Radio’s Beyond the Beauty podcast. Bobbi’s newest venture, Jones Road, is her collection of edited and indispensable products for all ages, skin types, and skin tones.

Melissa Gorga, TV Personality & Entrepreneur, Envy by Melissa Gorga

Melissa Gorga is a fun-loving and sassy Italian from New Jersey. She and her charismatic husband, Joe Gorga, have been married for 17 years and have three beautiful children. Melissa defines what it is to be a modern housewife. Known for having an eye for style, she successfully launched her own clothing boutique Envy by Melissa Gorga in Montclair, NJ and online retail store EnvybyMG.com. Never afraid to take on a new challenge, Melissa has learned to balance family, friendships and career, while staying true to her own personal style.

Rebekah Borucki, Founder & President, Row House Publishing, Inc.

Rebekah “Bex” Borucki, founder of BexLife® and Row House Publishing, is a mother of five, a meditation guide, a birth doula, a mentor for creative healers, and an author and publisher of books for big and little readers. Community service is also an important aspect of Rebekah’s work. She is also the founder of the WPP Little Readers Big Change Initiative, Inc., a publicly-funded 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit, which provides free books, mental wellness tools, and writing workshops for students in grades PreK-8, public libraries, and community organizations.

Alexandra Bernard-Simmons, CEO/Founder, Think Like a Boss and Seneca Market LLC

The Founder and CEO of Think Like a Boss considers herself a professional dream chaser. Alexandra Bernard-Simmons has mastered both the business and creative world as a successful entrepreneur, author, and entertainer. She curates and speaks at events all over the nation, hosts her television show, podcast, and creates book tours for her best selling book, all titled “Think Like a Boss” all while calling upon her experiences in life, corporate America, and the entertainment industry to motivate and inspire individuals to think like a boss! Coming soon: Alexandra will be opening the first Black-owned, woman- owned Supermarket franchise in the Tri-State Area titled Seneca Market.

Rachael Grochowski, Founder and Principal, RHG Architecture+Design

Rachael H. Grochowski is an award-winning architect and designer and a seeker of truth in all things – especially in herself. Since she founded her Montclair, NJ-based firm, RHG Architecture +Design in 2003, Rachael’s personal and professional mission has been to help people create spaces that are authentically theirs. For Rachael, design is a journey and a collaboration; she guides others towards environments that make them feel grounded in their histories and inspired to grow into their futures. Rachael’s diverse body of work spans both residential and commercial projects throughout the US. She’s been recognized by the Urban Land Institute for sustainable development and has been awarded Gold and Silver LEED certifications for her work. In 2019, Rachael was named one of the Top 25 Leading Women Entrepreneurs in NJ.

Monica Martinez Milan, Entrepreneur, Master Networker and Franchise Owner, Stumpy’s Hatchet House

Monica is a Wife, Mother and Entrepreneur, owning several businesses with her husband, Stumpy’s Hatchet House of Green Brook, Brooklyn and designated to open in Hudson County as well as a location in Florida coming in 2022. She’s also the Co-owner of Elmsgate, LLC and Tyrol Group LLC (real estate development companies). Owning several businesses and working in the corporate sector for over 16 years has given her tremendous insight on strategic planning, customer service and the important perspective of needs of the small Latinx business owner. In 2020, The Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of NJ appointed Monica as a Board Member, where she actively serves the Latinx #familia. She is also a Board Leader of Corporate and Social Responsibility for Latina Surge National.

Jessica Gonzalez: Founder and CEO of InCharged + VendX + Lux Disinfect

Jessica Gonzalez is a lifelong New Jersey entrepreneur and self-starter. She started InCharged 2009 with a dream to create an opportunity for marketers to reach their audience in a new and innovative way. InCharged has grown to become the nation’s leading custom cell phone charging station manufacturer and distributor. It works with some of the largest event producers, experiential marketing agencies, brands, and venues. It provides the most cutting-edge technology to its clients and users because it is in a constant state of research and development – InCharged products are always improving and the company continuously learns how better to serve its customers. When the pandemic hit, she needed to pivot for her company’s survival, and to support entirely different operational needs of her clients. Lux Disinfect provides customized solutions to address each of the ways that viruses are spread..

Rachel Maeng Brown: Co-Founder, Loot Agency

Rachel Maeng Brown, named “NYC Top 20 in their 20’s” (Crain 2021), is the Sole Proprietor of The Legacy Brand, consulting brands and individuals on how to build and leverage their personal brand for generational wealth. She has recently co-founded Loot Agency LLC, alongside notable GenZ innovators and social media influencers, where she is a Co-Founder and Director of Talent and Brand Management, responsible for all prospecting/negotiation/management of all brand deals and manages all influencers, leads their Sports and Events verticals, and develops and executes the agency’s long-term strategy. Partnerships include brands such as Jergens, Macy’s,TurboTax, Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, The Dallas Mavericks, and more. She is also an angel investor in Dome Audio Inc, where she sits on the Executive team in Director roles in Partnerships and Branding.

Diamonique Lundy: Founder, SoLo’s Food

Diamonique is on a mission to teach local communities about healthy, obtainable lifestyles. While instructing in both urban and suburban settings, she studied the disparate dieting and food systems that promote dietary diseases in these communities. Using her expertise from observations and academic knowledge received from two science degrees, she constructed workshops that educate individuals on dieting and nutritious eating from a culturally competent viewpoint. Instead of pushing dated diet regimens that everyone must squeeze into, she has concocted a research-based plan that allows people to enjoy their cultural foods and eat healthier. Diamonique is a graduate of Montclair State University and was one of the winners of MSU’s 2020 Startup Montclair Pitch Competition.

Elisa Charters: Co-Founder, Latina Surge National

Elisa Charters is both an entrepreneur and a passionate advocate for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) and the BIPOC community of women. In 2014, Elisa co-founded Latina Surge National non-profit, an extension of her community work at several organizations for 20+ years. LSN’s mission is charitable and educational in advancing DEIB; its vision is to achieve parity for women across government, corporate America, and higher education and greater access for small business growth. In 2016, LSN formed a ‘Lean In Latina Surge Circle’ among 33,000. It has risen to be in the top-50 Lean In Networks recognized by The Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook/Instagram) and Dave Goldberg Family Foundation/LeanIn.Org. There are currently 50,000+ Circle leaders, and approximately 100 Networks, globally.