Elaine Stone was Professor Emerita at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and founder of the The Enterprise Center, a business training resource for fashion industry professionals, designers, and artists. Stone saw a need for special attention to women entrepreneurs and started the Women's Business Owners Program (WBOP), which has trained over 1,500 women business owners. A member of the college's Fashion Merchandising Management Department since 1975, she brought to FIT extensive retail experience as a buyer, fashion director, merchandise manager, and corporate vice president of department, specialty, and chain stores. Stone was instrumental in setting new directions for both the AAS and BS degree programs at FIT and she was a lead member of teams that established educational liaisons for FIT with countries across Asia. With her knowledge of the global marketplace, she initiated the first trip for students to Asia, visiting Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Hong Kong and also became a lead member of FIT teams that travelled the world to help create educational liaisons in India, Egypt, Japan, Korea, Bolivia, Taiwan and China. Among the many awards Stone has received are the Small Business Leadership Award from the New York City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Paul L. Lomax Award for scholarship and leadership in business education from New York University, and a lifetime achievement award from the Department of Commerce.
