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".
[3] Yancey studied drama and theatre at the University of Denver for two and a half years,[2] becoming a member of Gamma Phi Beta.
[1] In New York, Yancey worked in the bridal department at B. Altman and Company and at Joseph Bryne, organizing a large trade show for the latter.
[1][2] In 1970, she formed the Goldstone Fashion Merchandising School, followed in 1973 by the small business consulting firm of Jean Yancey & Associates.
[5] In close to 30 years, she assisted more than 1,000 women launching businesses in public relations, advertising, politics, publishing, and other fields.
[1][2] She was also a member of a Washington, D.C. committee that set the educational agenda for the 1986 White House Conference on Small Business.
[2][10] 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.
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".
[6] 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.