WOMEN for BW
Member Spotlights

Janet Gosche '82


The beauty of BW’s campus lured a young Janet Gosche ’82 to BW. She would often drive through Berea with her family. However, it would take a memorable meeting with then Dean Neil Malicky, later BW President Malicky, to seal the deal for her parents. Janet and her family had come back to BW for their second campus tour after their first visit was suspended because of a blizzard.

“My parents insisted we come back in the spring to finish our tour. That day, as my parents and I were walking by ourselves, we saw Dean Neil Malicky coming toward us. He called us each by name and stopped to talk with us, remembering our conversation from a few months earlier. That convinced my parents that they could be comfortable with me moving away from home to BW!” 

While at BW, Janet made many great memories, especially as a member of Alpha Xi Delta. 

“One of my fondest memories was Intra-fraternity Sing,” she says. “Alpha Xi Delta was a smaller group of women with few trained voices; the idea of standing shoulder-to-shoulder and singing acapella was horrifying. So, we decided to change the game. We created a micro-musical, with costumes and dance moves, telling a story about life on campus. It brought the house down! Of course, winning us first place and challenging us to raise our bar each year! It provided many life lessons: 1) Sometimes to be our best, we need to change what others might think are the rules. 2) It is amazing what a small group of like-minded people can do when they see no barriers to their success. 3) Be bold and have fun!”



While at BW, she would receive a scholarship from the then BW Women’s Club now Women for BW, which would help her continue her education.

“I will never forget how proud my family was the day that I received the award, with my mom, sister, and grandma with me,” recalls Janet.

It was an experience that Janet would remember well after she graduated from BW.

After graduation, Janet enjoyed a successful career at Accenture (then Arthur Andersen’s Consulting Division) where she helped launch their outsourcing business. After retiring as a senior executive, she helped her husband run his cybersecurity business as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategy Officer. Later, she changed career paths again and joined global management consulting firm Avasant as their Strategic Governance Global Practice Lead, continuing on today as a Distinguished Fellow. In addition, Janet has her own consulting firm where she works with business owners and other business leaders to find easier ways to run their businesses, with a focus on strategic planning and execution.

Throughout her career, Janet recalled the generosity of the BW Women’s Club and became a member to give back to other students like her. She is also a member of the BW Math Advisory Board.

As a Women for BW member, Janet enjoys being a part of a diverse group of like-minded women who like her Alpha Xi Delta sisters, can do anything when they don’t see barriers to their success.

“I love being part of a multi-generational group of women with a focused purpose to provide opportunities for other women at BW,” she says. “As a member of the Giving Circle, I always look forward to the student and faculty and staff proposals. I love the opportunity to vote on those that align with my philanthropic values.”

Her involvement with BW has come full circle, first as a scholarship recipient and now as a donor and mentor who is helping pave the way for a new generation of young women.

“The Women’s Committee gave me a scholarship when I needed it the most,” she says. “My involvement since graduation has been in gratitude for that financial support and encouragement. …I hope that I can help lift up today’s students as I was lifted then.”

Thank you, Janet! 

 

 


 

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