Member Benefits» Upcoming Events» Our Members» Contact Us» " NEWBO is one of the organizations that had the biggest impact on my life in Boston.  Without it, I never would have been able to start or maintain my business, The French Traveler, which turned 9 in 2006 and continues to grow!!" - Valerie Sutter

New England's 1st Organization For Women-Owned Businesses In 1978, a group of successful business women in the Boston area began meeting to provide support to each other as they worked to break the barriers as women business owners.  Led by Florence Burke, Esq., this dynamic group understood the growing trend of women taking on the challenge of owning their own business.  They recognized that there was little support for women as they considered this path and they set out to develop an organziation that provided education, networking and peer support. From these small meetings NEWBO was born. NEWBO was incorporated with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a non-profit in 1980, with Florence taking the helm as the organization's first president.  Thanks to her dedication and the vision of a handful of women, NEWBO developed a mission that is still in place today.   In our original state filing we listed the following in the purpose of the organization: To encourage business ownership by women To encourage and support women who own and operate businesses To provide a voice for women who own and operate businesses To foster economic stability of businesses owned and operated by women To foster training and other learning opportunities specifically oriented toward the needs of women in business To provide a system of sharing and disseminating information on, and of interest to, women in business To increase the general visibility of women in business To learn more read the Benefits of Membership. Run by volunteers, NEWBO has seen many presidents follow in Florence's footsteps including: Jean Bebout, 1979-1980 Jude Goldman, 1980 - 1981 Carley Weiss, 1981-1982 Janet McCourt, 1982-1983 Ruth Werksman, 1983-1984 Barbara Black, 1984-1986 Bonnie Gorbaty, 1986-1987 Janet Britcher, 1987-1989 Jan Bentley, 1989-1990 Dolly Di Pesa, 1990-1992 Elizabeth Brown, 1992-1994 Marcia Miller, 1994-1996 Lorelei Kolegue, 1996-1998 Rona Hamada, 1998-2000 Anne Kreidler, 2000-2002 Jennifer Lane, 2002-2004 Susan LaPlante-Dube, 2004-2006 The best way to know NEWBO is to come to a meeting and meet the members.  We invite you, as our guest, to the next NEWBO Event.