Jean Yancey

Jean Jolliffe Yancey (August 18, 1914 – September 15, 2000) was an American entrepreneur, small business consultant, women's business mentor, and motivational speaker. After working in retail and fashion in New York City and Denver, Colorado, she opened Jean Yancey & Associates in the latter city in 1973, offering training, consulting, and education for women entrepreneurs. In close to 30 years, she assisted more than 1,000 women launching businesses in public relations, advertising, politics, publishing, and other fields, and was known in Denver as "the mother of all businesswomen". She received many awards, including the 1982 National Advocate for Women in Small Businesses award presented by US President Ronald Reagan in a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1985.

Early life Yancey was born Martha Jean Jolliffe on August 18, 1914, in Clarksburg, West Virginia. When she was eight years old, her family relocated to Denver, Colorado. As a student at East High School, she and her friend Jane Smith persuaded the president of The Denver Dry Goods Company to host the first high school fashion show in the United States.

Education Yancey studied drama and theatre at the University of Denver for two and a half years, In 1936 she moved to New York City to pursue a career in Broadway theatre.

In 1962, Yancey and a partner opened the Bridal Loft in Cherry Creek North. She sold the business in 1969. Yancey became known in Denver as "the mother of all businesswomen". She was also a recognized speaker in the United States and Canada, Later in the 1970s, Yancey taught at the Emily Griffith Opportunity School and the Barbizon School of Modeling. In 1982, she was honored as the National Advocate for Women in Small Businesses by President Ronald Reagan at an award ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.

Several annual awards were named for her. During her lifetime, the Denver chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) presented the Jean Yancey Award for Excellence to the entrepreneur who has "made the most difference".

Later life and death In honor of her 80th birthday in 1994, Yancey's friends dedicated a park bench at Cherry Creek State Park in her name. In honor of her 85th birthday in 1999, 200 guests attended a party at the University of Denver. Yancey received personal greetings from Vice President Al Gore and U.S. Representative Diana DeGette, as well as proclamations signed by Colorado governor Bill Owens and Denver mayor Wellington Webb, who each declared the day as Jean Yancey Day. The party doubled as a benefit for the university's soon to be opened Fisher Early Learning Center. The $20,000 raised from the evening led to the dedication of Grandma Jean's Story Garden at the center.

In her final years, Yancey suffered from pulmonary hypertension and used a wheelchair and portable oxygen cylinder. She died of heart failure on September 15, 2000, aged 86. Her papers are stored at the Denver Public Library.