Press Release
Center for Women’s Business Research Elects New Chair
Washington, DC – The Center for Women’s Business Research has announced that Marjorie Alfus, President of Alfus Family, L.P. has been named Chair of the Board of Directors.
Ms. Alfus has been an active member of the Center’s Board for over six years, most recently serving as the Vice-Chair for Corporate Relations. To her role as Chair, she will bring a vast array of entrepreneurial, corporate, and legal experience gained from over 30 years as a businesswoman.
“One of the things I recognize is my responsibility to be a role model for the younger generations of women,” said Ms. Alfus. “My goal is that our data increasingly impacts the growth in the numbers, power, clout, and impact of women business owners in all facets of our economy and society.”
A serial entrepreneur since the age of 18, Ms. Alfus began her working life as a scientist, but then embarked on her first business venture – producing daytime women’s shows for network television. Subsequently, she started a fashion business and was responsible for bringing highquality Italian knitwear to stores throughout the United States. She was a pioneer in outsourcing, and for 15 years made monthly trips to factories throughout Europe while juggling the responsibilities of raising two children and running a multi-million dollar business. In anticipation of selling her business, Ms. Alfus earned her JD at New York University (NYU) Law School at night and was appointed an adjunct professor at the NYU Law School.
When she sold her fashion business, she joined Kmart as in-house counsel for the apparel division. At first, she was actively engaged in real estate development and government relations. However, her entrepreneurial spirit soon took over, and she induced the chairman of Kmart to set up a direct sourcing/manufacturing private label business, which she headed until her retirement some nine years ago.
Today, Ms. Alfus is active in buying land and developing both commercial and residential real estate. She has owned a highly successful children’s day camp, several hotels, a .com venture, and actively manages her family partnership investments in public and private equity ventures.
In addition to the Center, Ms. Alfus is active in C200 and the International Women’s Forum.
As a board member of the Committee of 200 (C200) Foundation, Ms. Alfus created the Marjorie Alfus/C200 Initiative with Harvard Business School to produce case studies featuring women as the protagonists – truly a landmark endeavor to highlight the accomplishments of women business owners throughout the country.
The Center for Women’s Business Research is the premier source of information on women business owners and their enterprises worldwide. The Center’s mission is to unleash the economic potential of women entrepreneurs by conducting research, sharing information, and increasing knowledge about this fast-growing sector of the economy.
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Center for Women’s Business Research Center for Women’s Business Research is the premier source of knowledge about women business owners and their enterprises worldwide. The Center’s mission is to unleash the economic potential of women entrepreneurs by conducting research, sharing information and increasing knowledge about this fast-growing sector of the economy.
Since 1989, the Center has generated research-based intelligence that has helped public- and private sector leaders, advocates, and individual women business owners make informed strategic decisions for generating greater business opportunities.
Citation
Center for Women’s Business Research. “Center for Women’s Business Research Elects New Chair.” Press Release. January 11, 2005. Washington, DC.