12:15 p.m. Oct. 1 former Big Red Circle, outside Harry Frazier Hall
For more than 40 years, Jane Goldstein has mentored, counseled and inspired thousands of students, staff and colleagues. In recognition of her dedication and leadership, Big Red Circle has been renovated and renamed in her honor. The Jane Goldstein Plaza will be officially unveiled and dedicated at this ceremony. A reception in Jane’s honor will follow at the University Club.
Additional Information: Laurie Pardieu, 852-2042; Donna Zinser Clark, 852-8523
More about Jane Goldstein
If there were a box score reporting the ascent of professional women in the Louisville area, hundreds of the players’ names and accomplishments would be followed by an asterisk, with a companion notation at the bottom of the tally. It would say simply, *Assist, Goldstein.
For nearly 40 years, Jane Goldstein, currently the assistant dean for development and external affairs at the College of Business, has been the wind beneath the wings of women on the rise. She has taught, mentored, counseled, connected, funded, defended and challenged students, friends and peers, simply for the joy of seeing them succeed.
When 2005 graduate Shonda Brown was interviewed about the publication of her first book, she credited the college’s faculty with giving her the skills needed to be a promising entrepreneur-author. But Goldstein, she said, added something more.
“She believes in people even when they don’t themselves,” she said.
Previously a UofL lecturer in the area of office management, Goldstein holds bachelor and master’s degrees from UofL in business education and is a Certified Professional Secretary. She regularly gives seminars, workshops and speeches on a variety of workplace issues, and her resume is a litany of civic and humanitarian awards for leadership and philanthropy, including the UofL Alumni Association’s Red Apple Award, which is given to teachers who make significant contributions to students’ lives.
“Jane truly cares about people and will do everything in her power to help them grow,” said Allie Goatley, the college’s assistant dean for advising. “She doesn’t believe in red tape.”
High school classmate and former College of Business events coordinator Sandy Berry nominated Goldstein for the Atherton High School Hall of Fame, based in part on the comments of UofL graduates. “Everywhere I go I meet former students who always ask about Jane,” she said. “As a role model and advocate, she makes our community a better place.”
Diane Medley, a partner in Mountjoy Chilton Medley and a 1980 graduate of the college, discovered Goldstein’s energy as a student but has since also benefited from her help as a professional.
“She’s tremendous,” said Medley, who also is a member of EWAB, the Executive Women’s Advisory Board Goldstein founded more than 20 years ago. “We were looking for a director of operations, and Jane’s network helped us connect with a former colleague. The university is on her mind 24/7-she’s all about making connections.”
Leadership Louisville recently agreed, naming Goldstein to its charter assembly of community “Connectors.”
Goldstein recently conducted a salary survey for the members of the Administrative Services Advisory Board (ASAB), a networking organization she co-founded in 1984 with her mentor, Dr. Kathleen Drummond, to celebrate and elevate the skills of the executive assistants to the area’s top CEOs. The results of the survey helped her illustrate one of her primary messages for women who want to prove-and improve-their value to their respective organizations.
“Jane’s always tells us that we’re an extension of the highest levels ofleadership,” said Kathleen Smith, executive assistant to UofL President James Ramsey and an ASAB member. “She believes we ought to strive to deliver the same level of professionalism, and we should be compensated accordingly.”
But Medley believes Goldstein’s most endearing quality may be her preference to push women into the spotlight rather than seek a piece of it. “She’s completely non-egocentric,” she said. “It’s always about other person-not Jane.” Goatley, who has been a friend and co-worker for more than 25 years, agrees.
“Jane remains a touchstone for people because she’s completely unselfish,” she said. “Her energy and passion for helping people are amazing.”
