March 21, 2011 (McLean, VA) -- American Society of Women Accountants (ASWA) Executive Director Lee Lowery, CAE, recently participated in the panel discussion "Building Your Professional Network” to students of the Howard University School of Business Executive Leadership Program at Freddie Mac headquarters in McLean, VA.

The session included a discussion of the benefits of association membership for young professionals embarking on careers in business, including accounting and finance. Lowery's co-panelists included Jason Howell, District of Columbia Chapter President of the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance & Accounting (ALPFA), Andrea Smith, Financial Literacy Chair for the District of Columbia Chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) and facilitator Kia Silver-Hodge, Freddie Mac's Director of Marketplace Diversity Initiatives.

The panel discussion was attended by more than 70 students from the Howard University School of Business Executive Leadership Program. Members of this prestigious program typically have grade point averages of 3.5 or higher and are involved in the program to gain a competitive advantage as they prepare to begin their careers.

"I was struck by how impactful this experience must have been for the students, and it occurred to me that their mere presence that day really gave them a leg up on their peers as they get ready to enter the workforce,” commented Lowery. "More than once, I considered how much better off I might have been had I taken part in such an event during my college years.”

"As we evolve as an organization, events such as this are an important method of enhancing ASWA's diversity and increasing our visibility in the marketplace,” said ASWA President Vivian L. Moller. "Lee has represented our organization well by promoting ASWA to a young, diverse group of professionals.”

To read more about this event, read Lowery's blog post on the ASWA President's Blog. For more information, please visit www.aswa.org.

Founded in 1938, ASWA provides women in accounting and finance the leadership, education and networking opportunities needed to achieve their career goals. Over seventy years later, ASWA is still the only organization that solely represents the interest of women in the entire accounting and finance community. The organization's mission is to enable women in all accounting and related fields to achieve their full personal, professional and economic potential and to contribute to the future development of their profession. For more information, visit www.aswa.org.

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