History

In l992, Lisa Woll founded Suited for Change.  Her inspiration was a visit to The Bottomless Closet in Chicago coupled with the knowledge that social service agencies in the District of Columbia identified professional attire as a serious needs of their clients.  Lisa enlisted the help of 4 colleagues and friends to create the founding board of directors. Together, they took the steps necessary to build a strong,  effective, and innovative organization.

The first year of work focused on all the legal necessities such as articles of incorporation, fundraising, finding space, and creating relationships with referral partners.  The members of the board "staffed" the organization.  In the second year, a part-time program manager was hired, and in the third year, a full-time Executive Director was hired.  Since then, Suited for Change has moved to larger offices, and has two full-time staff members and one part-time assistant!  Additionally, Suited for Change has expanded from serving only the District of Columbia to also serving the suburbs in Maryland and Northern Virginia and provides Professional and Personal Development Series training in addition to professional attire.

Accomplishments

Suited for Change has "suited" nearly 6,000 women since our founding, over half of whom have secured paid employment. In their evaluations of our services, our clients expressed the following:

"Suited for Change made the difference in fulfilling my employment goals -- a professional appearance equals a professional position."

"I have declined several interviews . . . because I no longer have suitable clothing. Now I feel like I can accept the interviews and go in and win the job."

Since 1995, Suited for Change has offered a series of professional development seminars to help our clients develop the skills they need to secure and retain employment. The seminars are offered each quarter and focus on topics such as interview techniques, verbal and written communication skills, effective resumes and time management. In 1998, we expanded from our Saturday sessions to include evening "mini-sessions" in an effort to reach even greater numbers.

Suited for Change has served as a model for women seeking to start similar programs in their communities. In September 1994, we hosted the first national meeting of all "sister organizations." Lisa Woll, founder of Suited for Change assisted in forming a national alliance called, "The Women's Alliance."  Through this Alliance, we can share information and access resources with more than twenty sister programs throughout the United States.

In 1995, Tipper Gore visited Suited for Change to donate clothing collected during a White House clothing drive. She also assisted a client in selecting two interview outfits.

In 1996, seventeen of Washington's leading television anchorwomen donated their "on air" suits at a reception to benefit Suited for Change.

Suited for Change was honored in 1997 to commemorate our fifth anniversary.  Our 1997 Annual Celebration, "Celebrating Five Years of Success," was held at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The event was sponsored by the museum's Business and Professional Women's Council and featured Hillary Rodham Clinton as honorary chair and Paul Berry of WJLA-TV as the auctioneer for our live auction.

Suited for Change has been featured nationally on television news programs on CBS, CNN and CNBC and in the Wall St. Journal, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, USA Weekend, and Working Woman. We have also been featured locally on WJLA, WRC, WTTG, WUSA, and NewsChannel 8 and in The Washingtonian and Montgomery Journal.

In August of 2000, Suited for Change received the Best Nonprofit Placement Organization from the Fannie Mae Foundation's Summer Jobs Program. This award was in keeping with our secondary mission is to provide young women with leadership opportunities.

In January 2001, Suited for Change founder, Lisa Woll, was named a "Washingtonian of the Year" by The Washingtonian magazine.

Suited for Change has also received several awards for community service. The Soroptimist International awarded the Businesses Advancing the Status of Women Award to Suited for Change for "improving the status of women." Hadassah awarded the Myrtle Wreath Award to Lisa Woll, "in recognition of founding Suited for Change, an organization which brings dignity and the hope of a better future to women." We received an honorable mention award in the Washington Council of Agencies' Excellence in Nonprofit Management Competition.