“They were so full of energy, life, promise, potential, but then somewhere along the way, they lost that spark,” says Kiely, a half-Navajo, half-White MBA graduate who serves as the interim executive director of the National Association of Women MBAs. Alcoholism, violence and poverty took a toll on the young girls’ drive and optimism by the time they had reached their teens. “I wouldn’t hear about anyone going to school.”
Though Kiely had earned a master’s from the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College of Business and started a job in energy consulting, she was not satisfied. She felt she could do more. Seeing her extended family struggle to further their education inspired her to provide a support network for young American Indian girls, so Kiely reached out to the National Association of Women MBAs to pitch a mentoring idea.
