Fashion entrepreneur to speak on Friday

Throughout her career in the fashion industry, Jenny Fleiss has always been passionate about making fashion accessible to everyone. As CEO and co-founder of Jetblack and Rent the Runway, both innovative companies dedicated to making shopping experiences convenient, Fleiss has become an expert at using her entrepreneurial skills to make shopping a more approachable topic.

Fleiss will share her experience as an entrepreneur at the Saunders College of Business Gasser Lecture Series during Brick City Homecoming & Family Weekend. Fleiss will be speaking at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, at Rochester Institute of Technology’s Student Alumni Union’s Ingle Auditorium. Following the lecture, there will be a meet-and-greet reception at 3:30 p.m. at Lowenthal Hall.

“Jenny has been very outspoken on female entrepreneurship and women in business. We thought it was a good opportunity to bring in someone who is outspoken and poised,” said Heidi Boland, the events and promotions manager for Saunders College of Business. “She embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of RIT and our campus culture.”

Fleiss has received numerous recognitions, including Inc. magazine’s “30 Under 30,” Fortune magazine’s “40 Under 40” and “Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs,” and Fast Company’s “Most Influential Women in Technology.” Before co-founding her own companies, Fleiss worked at Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley as a member of their strategic planning groups.

The Gasser Lecture Series is an annual event hosted by Saunders College of Business. Through this lecture, the college hopes to provide “thought-provoking and engaging content for students.” This series is made possible by a gift from the late John Wiley Jones, former honorary member of the RIT Board of Trustees and founder of Hones Chemicals Inc., in memory of William D. Gasser, who taught at RIT from 1967 until his death in 1977.

Previous speakers for the Gasser lecture series include Randi Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media; Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Inc.; Daymond John, founder of FUBU and a Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank; and Dawn Hudson, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the NFL.

This event is open to the public, but registration is required to attend the event. To register, go to https://saunders.rit.edu/meet-jenny.