New director takes the lead at Jane Brock-Wilson Women in Management Center
Friday, July 1, 2016
A Purdue alumna and former Eli Lilly and Company executive has brought her leadership development and consulting expertise to the Krannert School as the new director of the Jane Brock-Wilson Women in Management Center.
Candice Lange, president of Lange Advisors, an Indianapolis-based consulting and executive coaching firm, brings a unique and diverse skillset to her new role. In addition to the development of women leaders, her specialty areas include gender-based challenges in the workplace, work-life integration and mentoring.
“I am thrilled to return to Purdue to advance the important work of the Women in Management Center,” Lange says. “The opportunity to make a difference in the lives of future generations of women is both motivating and inspiring.”
Lange, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Purdue’s School of Pharmacy and an MBA from Indiana University, was selected as director of the center following a national search.
“Candice Lange is a recognized thought leader on the important role women play in the world of business,” says Krannert dean and economics professor David Hummels. “She will direct experiential learning and engagement initiatives to extend the impact of a Management education beyond the years a student spends on campus and play a key role in advancing our mission to foster inclusion to help build a stronger and more vibrant workforce.”
Lange began her career at Eli Lilly and Company as a biochemical toxicologist. After holding a number of management positions in clinical and discovery research, she was asked to create and lead a new corporate strategy for work-life integration. She also led Lilly’s diversity strategy and the extension of the Lilly corporate brand into its human resources practices.
Under Lange’s leadership, Lilly achieved national recognition on a number of annual lists, including the Fortune 100 Best Places to Work in America and the Working Mother 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers. During this time, she worked closely with executive leaders in a coaching and advisory role to effect changes in corporate practice, policy and culture.
“In addition to being a Purdue alumna, Candice Lange’s stellar career at Eli Lilly and consulting experience with women in science and technology disciplines make her a natural fit to direct the Women in Management Center,” says Jane Brock-Wilson. “I am very excited to have her lead the Center's initiatives.”
Brock-Wilson, a managing director of Berkshire Partners, earned a bachelor's degree in industrial management from Purdue and was honored in 2014 with the Krannert Business Leadership Award. She helped fund the Women in Management Program in 2013 as a shared initiative among faculty, staff, students and alumnae.
The Center was funded with a gift of $2.5 million and focuses on expanding options for women’s business education; increasing women’s management career options; and initiating a culture in which students, faculty, staff and alumni encourage a supportive professional environment.