Barbara Bradley Baekgaard, co-founder, chief creative officer and chief optimist of Vera Bradley, will discuss “Basement to Boardroom” and participate in a fireside chat in Jabs Hall on March 5 at 5:30 pm. Joining her will be Bob Hall, chairman of the board of Vera Bradley, and his wife Joanie Hall, an avid philanthropist who was instrumental in building the Vera Bradley brand.

They will be discussing topics on entrepreneurship, business ownership, the fashion and apparel industry, as well as sharing insights and advice with the audience. They will also address the dynamics of family involvement in a business like Vera Bradley. In 1982, Baekgaard and her close friend Patricia Miller co-founded Vera Bradley in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The company specializes in bags, fragrances, luggage and accessories for women, and it has multiple stores across the United States and Japan. She has since served as a member of the Company’s Board of Directors. From 1982 through June 2010, she served as co-president of Vera Bradley, then in May 2010, she was appointed Chief Creative Officer and most recently in 2017, the company named her Chief Optimist. From the outset, Ms. Baekgaard has provided leadership and strategic direction in the brand's development by providing creative vision to areas such as marketing, product design and assortment planning and to the design and visual merchandising of the company’s stores and is still involved in the day-to-day creative process. Even after starting a successful business like Vera Bradley, she continues to launch additional entrepreneurial endeavors.