If having access to a strong network of powerful people is one of the determinants of success in today’s world, then Erica Ferro is a facilitator of professional advancement for Northwestern women.

Ferro, Weinberg ’93, will take office today as the chairwoman of the Council of One Hundred, running the Council’s day of networking events for female students and alumnae.

The group was formed in 1993 as a way to link students with prominent female alumnae through mentor and career counseling programs. At the time it was founded, Ferro was just starting out in her career as a financial analyst at a small Chicago firm, and had yet to be introduced to the importance of networking and career management.

“I wish I had the Council available to me as an undergrad,” Ferro said. “Sometimes you need an outside professional to help you find your way and make sure you are staying on top of your own career because, really, it is yours to manage.”

Council members are available during the event to mentor female students in a variety of fields. Ferro — now a senior financial analyst for IBM Corporation in Washington, D.C. — still mentors a student she met two years ago at one of the Council’s events.

“She was a graduating senior when I met her,” Ferro said. “I helped her evaluate what she was interested in, what opportunities were available, and how she could sell herself to potential employers.”

To request mentors, students can fill out a form on the group’s Web site, Ferro said. But many students find mentors informally during Council events, such as Wednesday’s etiquette banquet and the “Just Desserts” networking program.

“The informal mentor mix-and-match makes it a little less rigid,” Ferro said. “To approach someone 15 to 20 years older with a prominent position is intimidating. But this is more relaxed, more informal and social.”

Council members and some current students agreed that the alumnae connection fostered by the group also contributes to a more personal and relaxed relationship than other mentor programs.

“It is easier to make a connection with the women on the Council than at internships I have had because they know what it is like to be a Northwestern student,” said Jennifer Wasson, a Medill junior who has attended Council events since her freshman year.

Ferro said the alumnae can relate to many of the young women they mentor because they have been in similar positions.

Council chairwomen serve for two-year terms. During her time in office, Ferro, who has been a member of the organization since 2000, hopes to improve the Council’s visibility among first-year students.

“When you are looking for a job it is so advantageous to have someone where you can pick up the telephone and make that personal connection,” Ferro said. “And the only way to make this personal connection is through your network.”

Reach Amanda Junker at [email protected].

Quick facts:

–Council of One Hundred events will be held at the Norris University Center from noon to 10 p.m. today.

–Events planned include a networking lunch, an etiquette banquet and a seminar on creating resumes and filling out graduate school applications.

–Walk-ins are welcome for all events except the etiquette banquet, which required participants to register in advance.