Suited to Succeed (STS) was founded in June 1997 by a group of Baltimore men and women committed

to the empowerment of women with a specific focus on facilitating economic independence. The

founders recognized that a critical gap existed between completion of the more than 200 job training

programs in Baltimore and obtaining employment. Suited to Succeed was created to provide an

opportunity for disadvantaged women entering or re-entering the workforce to not only

‘dress for success’ with suitable business attire but also to enhance the skills necessary to gain and

maintain employment over time.

(STS) began as a grassroots initiative with seed money donated by the founding board

members, Snelling Personnel Services, Network 2000 and Procter & Gamble.

With a skeleton staff and committed volunteers, relationships with potential

Referral Partners were cultivated and the process of collecting and

providing business attire to women as they completed vocational training

programs began. In September 1998, NationsBank (now Bank of America)

donated 3,000 square feet to STS in their flagship building on the corner

of Light and Redwood Streets in downtown Baltimore.  Former Lt. Gov.

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend helped dedicate the new facility in

November 1998.

In June 2002, STS opened a satellite location in Harford County in an

effort to meet the expanding need. Over the past eight and a

half years, STS has served more than 4,000 women.

The average number of women receiving clothing has grown

from 15 clients per month to more than 100 per month and

we couldn’t have come so far without the generosity of the

Baltimore communities, corporations and organizations

that support us.