 Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming this evening. My name is Michelle DeMarzo. I'm the curator of education and academic engagement in the Fairfield University Art Museum. We hope that your especially fellow Fairfield students will be slowly coming in after the six o'clock hour and just point out there are still snacks at the back of the room and our bar remains open if you need a little bit of refreshment, but I am delighted to welcome all of you to tonight's panel on women as managers then and now and We are presenting this panel in conjunction with the exhibition Hildreth Mier the art of commerce Which is on in our Bellarmine Hall galleries just up the hill only until Saturday So we are hoping to entice those of you who haven't seen it yet on your seats You'll find the brochure for the show to give you a little bit of a sense of what Hildreth's art was like So please come up and see it before it closes on Saturday And in fact the idea for having this panel and having it with the Dolan School of Business Came out of conversations between myself and the museum's executive director Carrie Weaver as we were learning more about Hildreth Mier who is an artist whose work can be found in more than 100 sites across the United States And that's from the dome with the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC To Temple Emanuel and the banking room of One Wall Street in New York to the lobby of travelers insurance building in Hartford And we were wondering what it was like for Hildreth to operate in what was at the beginning of the 20th century Very much a man's world and to do so in the curious position of someone who is both a manager in terms of overseeing the work of the men who turned her designs into massive mosaics and murals and then also as a Client in the sense that she was working for architects who commissioned her to work in their buildings So if you come up to our exhibition and you look at the labels one thing you will notice is that the same names of Architectural firms and also these workmen these artisans the same names come up over and over again Which tells you that she was able to form really strong relationships both with the people She was overseeing and the people for whom she was working which I think says a lot about Hildreth So she had to been doing something right, but it cannot have been easy and from there We were kind of wondering well What would it be like for Hildreth today and then we thought well We should find some women who are managers and we should ask them and here we are with our illustrious panel And I'd like to take a minute to thank our partners without whom tonight's event would not be happening and first our Cosponsors our partners here in the Dolan School of Business Sarah Eve and John and In whose beautiful new space our event is being held and also to Hilly Dunne who is Hildreth Meyers granddaughter who's here with us this evening who is instrumental in bringing the beautiful exhibition to our museum and Finally to all of our panelists who have some of you have traveled a great distance from Hartford, Connecticut to be with us here tonight And we're all generously sharing their perspective with us And I just want to point out that one of the strengths of a liberal arts education of a Jesuit liberal arts education Is that it pushes us to learn from the perspective of people who are not like us or who see the world differently from us so that we can build a world with greater empathy and greater inclusion and in that spirit I'll be inviting each of our panelists to share a brief reflection and before and we move into a conversation that involves all of us here in this room So without further ado, I would like to introduce our first speaker this evening. Dr. Elizabeth Hull Dr. Hull is the assistant professor of the practice in the history department here at Fairfield in the College of Arts and Sciences And she teaches courses courses in 19th century American history and women and gender studies and her area of interest Focuses on the experience of late 19th century African-American women. Dr. Hull Hello everybody. How are we tonight? Here's your history moment. Okay, so excited. There's no quiz at the end of this So my job isn't to talk about my experience as a manager, but rather to think about Hildreth Muir In the context of the world in which she grew up So that's my very simple question. How do we understand her life and work in the context of women's history? So here's the premise. She was a new woman Born in Flushing, New York at the beginning stages of the progressive era, which is also known as the Jim Crow era She joined a cohort of women who were regarded as advanced as forward-thinking as new and You need to know that the new woman was the subject of a lot of controversy commentary and frequent worry But by the 1890s her her arrival was absolutely positively Undeniable and there are lots of reasons for this paradigm shift why people started to use the adjective new But I know when I say paradigm shift sometimes that makes people's palms sweat So let me just give you a quick example of what I mean because what we really have here is a paradigm shift With regard to gender So I need you to visualize a wearing a full-length dress wearing a corset Gloves hat and a parasol in 1850 Okay, have it in your heads and then picture exchanging it for a sleeveless knee length satin sheath with bare arms legs And low-heeled shoes. Okay to some extent. That's how you visualize the paradigm shift right from mid-century heavy clothing skirts, etc To clothing that is actually following Function right the ways in which women's lives have changed and of course that's that was a kind of easy way for me to ask you to visualize it Understand that the new woman is the product of much longer term trends all kinds of things from Industrialization immigration urbanization longer lifespans the development of the germ theory better nutrition access to education Changes in politics and the public arena and it's within that context that we need to Understand how she enters this world as part of this cohort keep in mind also that In addition to those longer term trends, we have to take it to account other key factors and that means Women's agency their sense of mission Self-described impulse to purposeful action and of course collective activism Hiltrith Meir understood she benefited from the woman's movement of the 19th century This movement challenged traditional beliefs about women's intellectual inferiority And singular destiny in marriage and maternity She acknowledged the organized effort to transform women's roles and status in a mural actually commissioned by the National Council of Women Entitled the progress of women 1833 to 1933. I think it's at Smith these days, but we can check that. Yes. Thank you This work actually highlighted the suffrage victory in 1920 and again notice she's doing this 13 years later. It's still seen as a massive Change just something really interesting in this murt mural because she starts out with prison bars fairly close together And then they become farther and further apart as you move to what she regarded as the suffrage victory This is a woman who enjoyed tremendous Support system in her youth her parents Ernest and Marie Marie herself an aspiring painter Backed her dream right? This is a child who says I want to be an artist and they say yes And and they had the financial wherewithal to do so now that didn't mean that the art world Scheduled fireworks when they caught wind of her plans She faced many closed doors and once said she could easily sport the title and I'm going to get this right Founder and president of the Association of Lady applicants meaning she heard more than her fair share of nose But she always adjusted to the circumstances the Bose Art Institute Ironically excluded her and all women so she went to the New York School of Applied Design for Women instead Convenient it was founded actually the year that she was born She kept her focus and she kept her sense of humor when the architectural leave finally admitted women She became a member and that was six years after they'd given her the gold medal The New York Arts New York City Arts Commission Welcomed her as their first female member and invited her to a formal black tie dinner She's the only woman so she actually showed up in a black tie, but I understand she also wore a gorgeous low-necked black gown as well So again great that she had a sense of humor When you when you think about her work you can see her presiding in her Manhattan studio Over this these massive works in which she was engaged She was figuring out how to collaborate with architects and craftsmen manage male employees Line up vendors deal with clients write everything from the National Council of Women to the Nebraska Legislature who knew She had to organize and sequence all the phases of these massive projects She was not only renowned for her distinctive art deco style She developed a reputation for reliability and professionalism One architect exclaimed What's the job was in her hands you can forget about it assured it will be done right and on time quite a reputation to have from the New York Papers accounts detail that she networked and schmoozed with the best of them and She understood that she was both an artist and a business woman Like many women then and now she navigated the tension between her identity as a woman and as a professional It wasn't that she didn't acknowledge both, but we can understand to some extent her frustration. This is something Georgia Keith said at one point What does a gendered adjective before the word artist mean? What does that mean? One of her biographers suggested that the air thought a woman had to know her job better than a man To succeed as a muralist, but she said she never felt dismissed or discriminated against but I wonder Occasionally she must have had to kind of Take a deep breath right take a deep breath When she heard herself referred to as him in a newspaper article or heard her contributions to the World's Fair of 1939 as Coming from the country's leading woman muralist She once confided to a friend I've worked as an equal with men and my rating as an equal is all I value Still she racked up many firsts including the first women artist There it is. Okay, first women artists to receive the fine arts medal from the American Institute of Architects in 1956 Her resume was lengthy and substantial right. It was peppered with many professional responsibilities such as Officer in the Art Students League in the National Society of Mural Painters. It's also abundantly clear that she encouraged future artists As a role model for the next generation. She constantly gave talks before young people Her personal life also embraced modernity Later in life. She married Richard von Gerbel and had a daughter when the marriage ended She raised her child as a devoted single parent as did many professional women of her era She retained her birth name technically making her what we would call a Lucy stoner named after a 19th century activist It's clear affection for her work remained constant. She expressed Enthusiasm she felt when her mother took her on a trip to Italy After high school graduation, I fell in love once and for all with mural painting and great beautiful walls Like many women, she was a force in the public arena And there are lots of things I could tell you about her work during World War one as a mechanical draftsman I could talk about her work in the depression for the WPA Impressive relief work that she does for the Spanish and the French also in the 30s and 40s. She has an impressive Role that she plays in World War two organizing other artists to assist But I think what's most impressive about her as a new woman is that she worked As a professional almost continuously over a 40-year period right no guarantee about employment and that's an extraordinary level of success She'd like to think of herself as a Catholic artist and in that sense Catholic meaning universal She had very clear ideas about what should and shouldn't occur lovely comment from her in the newspaper after the Rockefeller Center Announced the mural contest and she was like hmm. I really think it's the architect who should determine what this is nonsense about a Contest all of the photographs of me air as an adult situate her as looking off to the site Maybe in the direction of her work a clue perhaps to her success and to the art we continue to enjoy Thank you, thank you dr. Hole for those remarks And our second speaker is dr. Catherine Giaponi who is Associate Professor of Management here in the Dolan School of Business She started her career in the business world as I understand before transitioning to academia And she teaches courses on business strategy and the management of nonprofit organizations dr. Giaponi Hello, everyone. Welcome. I wanted to I wanted to spend my time talking a little bit about about Hildreth in terms of the business world and women in business and I think my my colleagues here are going to talk about Specific examples relating to their own personal growth and development as women in management But I wanted to do a little broad brush first and and that is that I think she exemplified A respective business person. I'm going to use the word person business person. I think she'd probably prefer that to business woman she was able to effectively leverage her skills and and as an artist to create really a successful business and And I had the same quote that Liz had about from the architect who basically said the that once the job is in her hands You can forget about it. You're assured it's done right. It's done on time high quality Good craftsmanship so she leveraged her talents and her skills Which I think for all of us we want to really have an awareness of what our talents and skills are and how we can leverage those So she was highly respected for both her talent and her work ethic And I think that is was really key to her success as a business person I think the other thing that Liz briefly mentioned was the idea that and Michelle also mentioned I think her collaborative orientation was phenomenal. I mean for a woman in management She focused on a collaborative approach to what she did. She collaborated as Michelle said With her clients who were the architects With the craftsman she worked with but also with the clients for whom this the the total project, right? was being developed and And there were times where she Kind of changed some things based on the clients coming say well, I think it was in the Nebraska Statehouse that she actually made some changes, you know based on client needs and what they were looking for There were other times where she pushed back a little bit, right? And sometimes they went back to her original pieces And so it sounded to me and I didn't know her and you won't worry about her than I do But that she had a really collaborative approach. She listened. She listened to the client She listened to the architect and she always talked about looking looking looking to fit the right project with the right client The appropriate materials so I kind of like that idea of a collaborative orientation toward management As Michelle and I talked about earlier today if you look at her art There's she had Ongoing relationships with many of the same architects with many of the same clients and the same craftsman So obviously she did something really right and building those relationships And I think for for management for women in management. That's really critical that it's it to me It's it's all about relationship building and it see it appears to me based on the outcome that she was a really effective Manager that way But I do also see her we haven't heard the term entrepreneur I see her as an entrepreneur to me. This was an entrepreneurial venture, right? It's a first of its kind She built a business for herself and she was able to leverage her talents and skills and Building that business and a few things I saw that I believe number one I think she she was confident in her work and in her talent and because she Adopted those at a very early age. Should we stop confident in her skills and to me? That's really important for an entrepreneur second thing innovative She she worked with all different kinds of materials She broke with tradition in some of the ways that she did things So she was highly innovative and she wasn't afraid to innovate and I thought to me that is the sign of an entrepreneur They talked about her blending different influences from Byzantine Egyptian and Greek influences for example And the whole you know evolution of the art deco style. So she really was an innovator So I again that contributed to my perception of her as a true entrepreneur The other thing about her that I really I liked was again in that development I saw her as in the Jesuit traditional lifelong learner I kind of saw her as an individual that in that continual development of her craft and her art She was continuing to learn and grow and develop and to me That's at the heart of our education here at Fairfield, which I think is so important So my reflection on her is that and I think for any of us to be lifelong learners You have to be open not only of mind but of heart in order to embrace that and so That's my vision of her that she was open of mind and heart to developing her craft to developing her art To doing better by her clients and I think that is that is really key Also, I think you have to be a little humble for that also And I think the fact that she did listen to her clients sometimes said that there was there was an element She was a humble individual as well as the way that I perceive her based on a few things that I read about her I think the biggest thing that has stuck with me and reflecting on her life and her work was her passion There it was great passion She knew that that was going to be her in quotes and a lot of articles talked about vocation when you have a career or a job It's one thing but if when your career your job is your vocation to me It is everything because that's when I think you bring so much of yourself to what you do and I think I Had a phrase here. I said I think when one's gifts and talents Intersect with your passion There is nothing that can stop you in terms of what you can achieve and accomplish in life And I see her as an exemplar of that I see her her talents in art her talents as a craftsman We're you know We're of highest caliber and she was passionate about the arts and she was passionate about kind of furthering The craft and the area that she was involved in so for me that kind of came out to me I tell my students all the time find your passion because I think if you find your passion You're going to be successful in business and we can bring that passion in a variety of ways to the jobs and how we do our jobs but if you can self reflect on what are our internal strengths and how can we bring those and Translate that into a business so I think for Hildreth to me the power of passion probably combined with her self-awareness of her talents I think enabled her to really create these beautiful works to to achieve over a hundred commissions Which I think is phenomenal for someone of her era and so to me She's a great exemplar of that whole idea of Translating something you love into a true vocation in life I just I resonate a little bit with this because as as Michelle mentioned I'm a train a change of career educated. I'm a change of career person In my when I was in my 40s, you know I had an adjunct position and I went into the classroom and it was like oh my god I love this, you know, I felt like the learning and the energy of the environment. I just felt like I was so excited I was exhilarated I remember driving home and my husband was home and I it was it was a weekend college program that I was involved in And I was so excited He still remembers that and I said I love this I said I think this is what I've meant to do You know and it was kind of that realization that moment where you know your passion is lit and you just feel like yeah I think this is what I was always meant to do and I feel like with Hildreth there I think that's what she was meant to do too, right? That was her life's calling her vocation and so so at the age of I was in my 40s that and I think will Probably this has a similar story too, but I was in my 40s and I went back to get my doctoral degree I had an MBA at that point I had a couple small kids and I said no and and and similar to her I guess in thinking about this You know hurdles and obstacles to doing that at my age a lot of people say no you're too old Why are you why are you doing this one minute? and But I think that when you have that passion and I also I also think if I look back on my life I was always a teacher at heart when I worked they always said Kathy Can you train the new financial analyst? You're good at that can I was a tutor and I mean I think I always had that in me and kind of Getting that gaining that self-awareness and and realizing that that really was my passion So I was sort of inspired to read about her because I really believe that she is one who integrated her passion with a tremendous talent and that just enabled her to achieve greatness and to um and to create a business in a sense for herself that was so so phenomenal so So yeah, so I'll finish there Well, thank you so much. Dr. Giovanni So if dr. Hull and dr. Giovanni have been giving us the internal fairfield university Reflections both from the College of Arts and Sciences side represent and as well as from the Dolan School of Business side We turn out to some of our welcome guests from outside fairfield and we are starting with maizee russell Maizee is the second vice president of tax at travelers insurance She's responsible for managing state-income tax compliance research planning and audits and speaking of merging that sort of passion and vocation She said on our call that she loves tax so much. She is an adjunct faculty member at the university of harford teaching State and local taxation. So yes, this is someone who loves taxes She also is engaged in the arts. She's on the board of the costume and textile society at the wadsworth athenaeum She's also a trustee of the amistad center for arts and culture maizee russell. Okay. Thank you very much It's such a pleasure to be here And um, I'll just go right into it Confidence grit and determination Those were the words That were imparted to me growing up as a child My mother always said to me you can do anything that you put your mind to And she lived it. So just for a minute just indulge with me My mom in 1973 Had a vision to start an elementary school in her community So she wrote a letter to the prime minister in jamaica to get funds for that school She received a response from him Saying you thank you very much, but i'm so sorry that I cannot give you the funds for that She did not use that no To dim her dreams. She went ahead and she actually founded the elementary school And that school still exists, but in a different form. So that's basically confidence grit and determination As a student Pursuing my master's in taxation I was the only female and the only african-american in all my classes And I recall one of the profess A student in my class. We both had the same last name and he vocally said Make sure to the professor make sure you don't confuse our names or our grades I also had other Classes where I had to talk to the professor Because no one in all my classes wanted to wanted me to be on their project team But I used those challenges To be one of the top student And how ironic it is that actually Teaching Various tax classes at that same university That is confidence grit and determination Throughout my career, I've had challenges and I've handled them the same way And I don't want you to put your hand up, but how many of you have had the statement said to you You have to prove yourself I've had that several times But I use that as a determination To do exceptionally well So I said to myself when those statements were made to me. I said, you know what not only am I good But I'm actually even better than most of you here So I've done I've done that throughout my career for various instances. So I too have a lot of Confidence grit and determination So I've always done very well and try to work very hard even more than my peers, but it has paid off So that's okay with that I work for a great company that supports my growth A few years ago based on my performance and my leadership skills I was nominated to attend Black Enterprise Woman of Power Summit And that is the summit with over 600 Powerful women from across the country I went back to the office with more Empowerment I felt like I was just so empowered about my career and I wanted to do more So I scheduled a one-on-one with my boss And we sat down and we spoke and I shared with him some things that I wanted to do I want to do more and I laid out a lot of things that I wanted to do And within a few months I was promoted and he said to me Do you remember that conversation that we had? So again, you have to Basically not be afraid to do anything About three years ago. I had this great thought And talking about innovation to innovate my area to go paperless for two of my units And I actually did that with my staff Talking about innovation. So now for one of my units We can they can actually we can actually do a tax return from preparation all the way through filing from even a remote location So again, I'm going back to basically being Confident and have a lot of grit and determination in what you do So be confident and be determined believe in yourself Own who you are and distinguish yourself among your peers Think outside the box and challenge the process. That's innovation and stay current and present new ideas about Two days ago. I actually was invited to a meeting Because of all these things that I'm doing I'm actually doing exactly what I'm saying I'm actually taking action and doing all these different things So I was actually invited to that meeting. I'm very intentional about things that I do And say for example going to a Meeting in a conference room. I deliberately don't sit on the sideline And I make sure I sit at the table I only sit on the sideline if there's no more room at the table And I deliberately sit at the table because I want to be a part of the discussion And a part of the solution. So I am very intentional about those things that I do So as leaders we should collaborate. I heard that word inspire motivate empower others to act and as women We need to have a lot of confidence Grit and determination through all of our executions I agree Confidence grit and determination those are three really great terms for every one of us to take away from here tonight Thank you so much. Maisie Russell Our next speaker is lauren berry also with travelers And I just want to reiterate again that travelers is sponsoring the show in no small part because These ladies are privileged to have a work by hills with me air adorning one of the entrances to one of the Fives at five travelers buildings in hartford now. There are a lot more than we thought We just assumed like oh, you've got it in your building, right? And they're like there are a lot of buildings Nonetheless, they have an intimate connection to the subject of our exhibitions We're so happy for both of them to be participating and lauren is vice president and chief Underwriting officer of travelers global inland marine Which offers commercial underwriting across a variety of sectors including construction renewable energy and fine arts Which includes museums which includes us So they are the underwriter of the university and the museum is pleased to be able to say they are also Covering our assets let us say We'll now welcome lauren berry. Thank you. Thank you so much. And I was so moved by maize. I have to hug you You know that was just um very uh, I feel very lucky to be part of the panel and to uh, to be we started to become friends Just uh, thank you for putting us together What I do part of what I do is in the fine art area It's probably one of um very fun things that I do My dad is an artist and ever since I grew up in new york like uh, hill druth also Um, and I'm so excited about going to new york and going back to see all of the exhibits So many times i've gone to radio city music hall. I've gone to uh, st. Bart's Now I can really Appreciate it so fully after this. So so thank you and thank you fairfield for having us We we do ensure the museum and we ensure this building under construction. So uh, and the underwriter is right there There's christine. So she's been very close. She's happy to see it. So beautiful and functional And up and running. So um, so really appreciate it. Um, I don't live in new york anymore I live in connecticut and i'm in i live in connecticut with um, two boys with um, A son that's 14 named jack and um, I have a corgi that's three years old named chumlee And uh, they both keep me keep me hopping all the time and both have insatiable appetites I've never the corgi's gaining a little weight, but the sun is just getting taller and taller. So um, so part of um, some of the things that i'm involved in from a volunteer standpoint and also From some of the challenges that i've encountered This time goes on I um, i'm the president of youth football. I was and now Uh, I had a high school football and i've also coached football if you can believe it looking at me, but um, and uh To be close to related to be close to my son to help out with that and when I listen Hildreth Exposing herself to areas that are mostly men and where probably She's kind of breaking breaking barriers there I feel like very often It's a challenge. I've had jobs where I became a manager. I was 29 28 29 And I became a manager of a staff that was all men and that was men in the 50s and 60s And I I feel some things I've learned over time You you have to learn from them. You have to learn from the football coaches You have to learn from the 50 and 60 year olds You have to you have to be very humble and say you don't know how to do everything You will make mistakes and please please forgive me and um and try not to make mistakes more than once But you need to learn from them and you also need to really listen and to think about What what do they want? What are their expectations? How can you make their lives better? And um, how how can they help you to be successful when when I first became a manager? I was um Kind of a little nervous about it and uh, I really as a team It was um a very um testosterone heavy team not only the football coaches But also some of the some of the underwriters that I was involved with and I um I made uh, I made everyone take Myers-Briggs because I wanted to know What type they were get some insight into them immediately and also how they interact with each other and really to try to Maximize the group dynamics. So uh, so I think Some coaching there if you're ever faced with you know, you kind of have a group you want to try to connect with I think those studies like that um tools like that. I think they're very helpful I think listening is the best thing but um, but but that's been uh Different challenges along the way. I did have a career change that I can relate to um When I grew up in an italian family in new york and I think I was about four years old And I must have argued with a lot or just wanted to prove my point So my family decided look I should be an attorney. So, you know, that would be great You know, she's she's got the mouth on So um, so really my whole life was channeled to law I was on the community board as a volunteer in high school. I got um a law clerk job at new york city council I worked with as a law clerk and and I went to emory undergrad and then emory law school And then once I was in law school probably two weeks in I really wasn't happy and I was doing a lot of soul searching and um I was terrified to tell my family because they they were talking about supreme court justices and all those things so um, but I I hung in there for two years in law school and um, I uh I paced myself with kind of letting my parents know a little bit by little bit and um, it came down to I was interviewing and I got a job in the new york city district attorney's office in the RICO division because I guess italian background and mafia They kind of put me in um, so I got a job there and also I had a job with chubb and insurance and um, I wound up going the insurance route And I really never look back. I I enjoy insurance. I enjoy the variety Um, the people that you meet the different operations and it was just for me Law school is fabulous for so many people and they're Great attorneys, but I think doing soul searching and knowing what you have a passion for And where you really fit is um is very important And I don't have the sign yet. So oh do I have the sign now one minute? Okay. I'll be really quick Last thing just on having a support system. I um, I decided in one year to Get divorced change jobs and buy a house and uh, I had a four-year-old at the time too. So I learned very quickly No way can you do that yourself and I got a very good support system from my family But I also recruited my son's daycare teacher as uh, as kind of a temporary nanny And uh to this day she's part of the family and everyone that helped me I'm just so grateful that I was able to do that You you can't do especially with big change. You definitely need to lean on others. So Thank you Thank you lauren that's another great thing to take away right luni to lean on others That's wonderful And last but not least among our panelists tonight is margarita pineto usero She served for almost 20 years as the chief risk officer for g e capital latin america And continues to work in that sector as a consultant today She's also the founder of the women dignity alliance which is based here in stanford And that's an international organization helping women unlock their potential while finding balance and making choices in their lives with corporate or entrepreneurial careers margarita Thank you Well, I was 20 years in g capital But not to 20 years was I the chief risk officer of latin america. So I want to make that correction I don't want to give you um all the wrong impression But it take because it takes time to develop your career To actually make it to a chief risk officer position as my colleagues here in the financial services field would Allow me to um, you know share on that But um, so let me tell you a little bit about me Uh, as you probably guessed from the name and now from the accent I um I was not born in the us and it english is not my first language I was born in mexico and that's where I went to undergraduate school I went to engineering school And sometimes you wonder why do people choose a particular field in undergraduate studies? And sometimes it has very little to do with the fact that um, you actually know what you want to do in life I had the impression that engineers were intelligent people and I wanted to prove the world To the world that I was intelligent because that's what I thought So I figured okay, I'll go to engineering school and because I was good at math I went on I graduated and how little did I know that a woman in mexico in the 80s Being an engineer had no hope of finding a job So I had two options when I graduated I could You know just fight all the fights to try to get a miserable job as an engineer Or be creative and identify what were the skillset? options that I Had already in my tool to actually do something and there was a bank at that point in time That was hiring engineers Training them on analysis of financial statements and was running a program To train these engineers to be credit analysts and account managers in banking So I joined the program and quickly Was able to actually develop tremendously in financial services And identified that it was a great field and had a lot of fun doing it And because I was good at math and sequential thinking that could Understand actually the manufacturing processes of many of our clients and when they were explaining to us The type of financing they needed in project finance and the many complexities of the things they were doing as an engineer I actually could relate a lot with what our clients needed And started to succeed in the field So one of the first things I learned earlier in my career was that it is not as much about this specific field of your domain expertise Earlier in your career as it is about the skillset that you start developing In my case for instance was depth in analytics The ability to have sequential thinking Listening well and understand what the other side needed How to translate that into a solution for the other In terms of you know financial services or a credit program Of course was working with my mentors and Boss and others Up or up in the bank to teach me how to structure deals And then I started to learn and enjoy Putting deals together and seeing how fun that was So for those of you who have ideas in banking financial services Deal structuring and all of those Things that are like that Go over it is super fun So I continued progressing in banking and the finance Financial services world, but then the second thing happened to me And this is a little bit on the personal side I wanted to Have a boyfriend and get married um Something pretty normal for a girl about my age at that time But men in Mexico were a little bit afraid of me. I think Cos I looked like a little bit too threatening, you know, oh my gosh, she has this job Maybe she makes more money than I do Right or sometimes they approached me, you know guys. I'm no offense to any men in this room Hi, you're like hi And then they you know would not develop any interesting conversation to my definition of interesting And in two or three pieces I would make the guy die So for those of you who are super smart girls and have a great job or already get Yourselves into a great job and want to get married. Don't marry or or start dating an idiot. That's not what I'm saying Because that's not what you want but but Give the other side a chance Because you are so self confident so self centered So busy with your job and how good you are and others already are telling you that That perhaps you have right in front of you a great guy Who's going to be a great partner in life for you And you shut him down at hello Or three words after hello Don't do it Right and guys if you're approaching a smart girl Do your homework don't come just with Hello, you know come with hello and a couple of other interesting things to say after that anyway Time went by and I met my prince charming. I'm still married to him 25 years later Thank you Great guy smart guy. We had amazing conversations now the poor guy if he were hearing me now And I know you're gonna post this somewhere We'll see but the first few conversations we had were on Ex-Im Bank financing for specific Types of transactions that were for emerging markets in banking. I mean he is in import exports So he knew about it and Poor guy, I mean he comes says hello and I go. What do you work and he tells me where he works and I'm like, oh So are you familiar with blah blah blah? Financing package of the Ex-Im Bank and the guy says. Oh, yes. I am and I'm thinking. Oh Yes, I'm like, oh, okay. I'm like, well, do you know blah blah blah? And he knows right because uh, yes, he didn't know but he made it up a little bit But you know what sounded good enough Two years later. I'm married to the guy He gets this great job offer to come uh and work for a company in new york city Personal life crosses with your career and you have to make choices And as the jesuits will tell you because sonic nations Is the master on discerning of the spirit and discerning of your choices You have to decide What is my will? What is god's will and what's the plan of my life? That would take me to where I need to go And sometimes where I need to go may not be exactly where I want to go But it is where the greater picture of the best plan for the best version of myself Is meant to go so Land in my philosophical comment Here I go. The guy says would you marry me? And of course I said yes So I left mexico my career And everything I had and by then I had already been in in banking about 10 years had A mid-singer position had already a team of you know, like 15 people reporting to me had about a billion dollars portfolio under management of you know corporate clients a variety of credit lines, etc Had progressed well had finished also my MBA. So, you know, wasn't doing that bad But I wanted to get married and I loved the guy And he asked and I said yes So I came over to the u.s um With a plan I put together a plan for my bosses there the bank that I was working for Had a new york office. I didn't need sponsorship or visa or anything like that because with my husband I was going to get all of those, um, you know things to to to come Legally to the country and I just put together a plan for transitioning They supported me because I had consistently delivered on my commitments from day one as an employee so Second lesson learned not only use your talents your skills and everything that you're good at but also Always delivering your commitments Always find opportunities to Show yourself in a gracious way, you know exposure what I mean by that is there are Several opportunities in companies for the extra project the additional thing that nobody wants to do And many times you don't want to volunteer for that either, but if you raise your hand and you do it It's almost every time pays back. I was that type of person. I've always been So when I needed Favor slash concession Sort of accommodation on my current situation on the personal side and I put together a reasonable plan for transitioning My boss and my boss's boss were willing to accommodate that situation for me And let me come to new york city Working from the new york agency while I transitioned into another job. And that's what I did Then, you know, I I sent my resume to every person I knew One of them in g e capital Join g e capital and them from there. I my international career took off I've probably Seen you standing there means that I need to stop what I want to tell you from there is that The network I had created up to that point in time got me to g e capital But what I've done since then to now has been taking calculated risks And new moves in my career consistently doing What I just shared think big And never give up a little girl in mexico with an accent Never thought that was going to be having a more than 20 plus years international career With g e capital and then sell all of those businesses when g decided to divest globally because That nothing happened unless you think big and never give up Thank you margarita And yes, I gave you the subtle signal not because that wasn't fascinating But because we would like an opportunity for our audience to also join in with questions And I certainly have some questions for all of you So i'm going to pose the first one to give you guys a chance to think of what your questions may be Emily our museum assistant does have a microphone to make it easier for you to make your contribution heard But my question is actually picking up on something margarita said you mentioned the word mentorship And I wanted to ask really each of you if you could briefly mention Was there a woman who mentored you when you were early on in your career? And how do you perceive mentoring toward younger women and also younger men? And maybe I can ask a question Maybe some students in the audience have wondered which is how do you actually get a mentor? Do they approach you do you select them? What is your what's your thoughts on that? Liz i'll just start with you because you're closest to me Actually, my mentor was a man. He was the chair of the history department Uh, and I think we selected each other So there's something about that mutuality, but uh, but yes, I would say that's who I would select and to this day I'm still in contact with him Yeah, and I was just going to note I mean one of the things in the research is that mentorship is so important for women and management Is having a mentor early in your career. I think I just throw that out Um, actually if I think of a of a key mentor that influenced my entire life in terms of of my life It was actually um the head of the athletic department at Providence college I was at Providence college in the 70s and just went co-ed And I was actually on the first women softball team and first women's ice hockey team there And I worked for the athletic director And she was from new york city and we always and she liked this term I'm not saying it to be facetious. We called her the new york broad Because she was powerful and she had that new york accent and dave gavid at the time was athletic director And she would fight for us for you know, she fought for us for uniforms and when I was in a hockey the ice time And um trips and funding Um, and she what she always used to say the same idea that you can be anything you want to be Um as as as a woman as an individual, um, all you have to do is work really hard Um and be authentic and um, so she was she was like a huge influence on my life as a mentor Not in a work environment, but I think she set the stage for A little bit of fearlessness in terms of going after whatever I want and not listening to someone say no to me Because she never did great My first mentor was uh, was a man Most of my career I've worked with more male than female And actually that was a very interested mentorship because he actually Selected me to mentor me and then we built a great relationship from that He saw some things in me that he wanted to push me um to do a lot better And I I also mentor other individuals and I started out with one person right now That I can think of that I started out as a mentor and I've switched over to being a sponsor because this person Has is doing so well that I'm now Um a sponsor for this person So I've switched over to that because once you get to a certain level in your career You need that sponsorship to move you forward. So I've had um male and female mentors in uh in my career I think um the first one that I had the the first manager that I ever had she was um Tall southern firecracker. She just the unbelievable amounts of energy and um, uh single parent And just a force to be reckoned with and always made time for No matter how busy she was she always made time just to really listen And to to check in and um, she's a she's a good influence. Um, I still uh, I'm still in contact with her And um, you know, it's been a while and I had um one mentor at travelers who um very very similar Really makes time and um From the heart like I don't I don't know that any it was rich wasquis I don't know that anyone ever could say a negative thing about this person. He passed away, which is very sad but um hooking up with mentors, I think Sometimes There's been meetings or someone will come up to and say personality wise you kind of click can can we Can that can I be a mentee or? And I've done that with people too like to if have a coffee or so if you feel that you you click with someone Or is someone either a professor Is anyone that you come across? I think it's worthwhile Reaching out and sometimes that could be a little vulnerable for people to reach out, but I I think it always pays off My first mentors And they both were sort of mentors at the same time were a man and a woman The woman was um a friend of my mom Who was the only executive? Woman friend of my mom my mom Did not have a corporate career. That's a whole other long story But um, you know, that was not what happened usually in her generation in in Mexico But this friend of my mom was an executive woman in the equivalent of the federal reserve bank in Mexico and When my mom told her that Her daughter margarita margarita found a job in a bank, you know She's like half her over and she took me under her wing. She told me so many things from You know, how to look like an executive how to poise myself How to present myself in a meeting Not that my parents hadn't given me, um, you know social skills or the way to present But just all of those little insights That sometimes we think we know And we don't really always now. She gave me a lot of those insights. Um, even from, you know Hair makeup jewelry Okay, lots of things especially, you know in in Societies like the latin american societies mexico and around that's critical, right? So she gave me a lot of insights of that nature The the male mentor was actually my dad My dad was in the corporate world and mexico in high positions and he knew how You know things happened in corporations and how to coach me in a way that You know, I could I could survive Those two were instrumental in my first years when I came to the u.s. I also In G capital Developed a relationship with a man and a woman who were in the international division my group And it just happened out of affinity of personality and How we worked The company also had a program to assign Mentors to you that happened to me like in my third year in the company if you performed well They gave you as an award a mentor and that was so more pretty senior in the organization. It was like a A special thing that the company would would give you that person today is still someone with whom I am in contact And turning a mentor into a sponsor to your previous comment He is the man Who when the when he was very high up in the organization continued to go up needed a chief risk officer For the latin american region He's the one who picked me. He had seen my career from the get go And we always kept in touch. So when he knew Like he needed someone he could trust and knew enough about He picked me. He said we need you to take this job So how critical it is to develop those relationships? So you can then When you're higher up in the organization Turn those mentorship relationships into sponsorships, but you don't turn them into that They turn into that because they see you Performing delivering on your commitments being confident having great all of the things that you've shared with us Thank you for your beautiful thoughts, but I attest that it happened to me just what you shared with us So true Thank you for all of those wonderful comments And I wonder do anyone in the audience have questions for our panelists Perhaps our panelists might have questions for each other. That's fine, too I couldn't hear you. What what how do you balance work and life? You know typically let's say like One sometimes like for me I work six in the morning till till 30 most days It varies on the weekends, but How do you keep that balance to where you're not or how do you decide what needs a priority in your life? I can go first. I'll tell you for instance, how I do that Balance is a personal decision For some people 10 percent in Personal life and 90 percent in work life is balance So balance is a personal decision. That's the first thing we all need to understand So you have to decide What is balance for you? Balance also changes throughout the various stages of your personal life and your professional life So you need to calibrate dependent upon the stage of your personal life and your professional life How to choose When To use your time to be with your family and when to use your time to be at work Let me give you one example When I was a chief risk officer of G capital latin america I had almost no time with my family before I took the job We made a decision as a family It was a hard decision Because I knew the job was a job in which I had to serve The team I was leading and I had to serve The interest of the company and those would have A priority over Many things that perhaps my family was going to need at a point in time I needed my husband To be a very strong partner To step into things that I would have stepped into at other stages of our family's life In terms of needs for my daughter Even things that he would have needed as my partner in life as a person that I love And he needed to know That that's what's going to be required of him at that moment because I was going to be demanded of other things But at other stages of my career for instance when I gave birth to my daughter I took a job at GE where I was the global leader global leader So I still had global responsibility of Six sigma for one of GE businesses GE real estate lean six sigma a division of six sigma for GE real estate So I worked on projects I could schedule my time and my travel And I had flexibility. I didn't have to be in front of customers. I didn't have to structure transactions Those were projects that I could Put the base on and I had a team that I could delegate many things to and do it differently So I could be with my daughter Certain hours of the day and shift accordingly And I don't want to take over the time for others to answer and I'm elaborating too much perhaps But The way you balance is understanding What's the stage of your life that you're at? Who are those in your life that you care the most? And how do you make agreements with them on what their needs are going to be and what you can give them Always obviously deliver your best self to them because they don't deserve less than that and also knowing what is the Commitment that you're taking with the company Which is entrusting you with the job is giving you And if you are a leader in the organization There are many lives that depend on you on your decisions And on your leadership choices You cannot let them down there are also bosses Over you who are trusting your ability to not lose money to make sure that everything is fine So you cannot say my kid is sick today, and I'm not coming to work. Well, guess what if you're one of those top ones You have to be there So you balance according to those two things. I'm sorry. I elaborated too much But I like you guys I think um, yeah, I like everything you said I would add I think you also have to know yourself You have to know How do you function at optimal performance? I know for me I need at least seven hours of sleep I have to have water near me and I need to work out because if I don't work out I'm going to be a little snappy So so you to really balance I liked your comment about it's a personal prep It's a personal decision how much work and how much home life, but knowing How you can function the best I think is very important and you need to stick with that I'll just quickly add that taking care of you is very important Because when you are doing well and you're physically fit mentally and physically you can accomplish so much I'm speaking I I'm speaking from a place where I actually for many years I had Two two elderly parents in my home I had caregivers and I had a very demanding job and I did all that and also being on the board And nothing failed on my job. So time management is It's crucial once you manage your time. It's amazing how many things you can get done within a day But take care of you and when you do that It makes a big difference I'm listening to all of them because I'm going to be perfectly honest. I haven't figured it out yet I'm still struggling. That's a great question I'm caught right now. I've got a grandbaby and I've got elderly parents who have been very ill for about the last year And I am struggling last semester. I think with you students I pulled three or four all-nighters to try to keep up with the work I had to do and take care of them. So I think that's a great question And I'm going to be honest with you. I'm still trying to figure it out myself So there's some great advice here. I do agree with taking care of you and I still haven't quite Done that sufficiently yet taking care of me. Um, but I think I think it is difficult I also will add I think your generation. I think are facing Um, really a tough go in terms of looking at a future in business or whatever you're doing for a career With the with the time commitments technology sort of straps you to the job And it is it is very difficult. I watched my kids who are in their 30s now and what they're going through and it's difficult Um, so I'm I'm glad for this advice you three have given me and I'm going I'm going to take that to heart and think a little more how I can manage my life and my time. So thank you I wish I had words of wisdom for you as well But I think there's something to be said for life stages. Sometimes there's greater labor intensity kids are young Yes, or older But here's something I'd like to say that has nothing to do with my life and this is where I think women should stand up and and Fight for an infrastructure that makes It possible to do the best job we can do And and I I say that because I think it just deserves a certain amount of activism I think there are ways in which the workplace is organized around men's life stages and not women's life stages And I think that's a fundamental mistake. I'm a big believer in building a support team I I love the west african proverb takes a village because it does take a village And the tendency on the part of women is to say well, I've got to do this. Well, yeah, you do But I think there's something to be said for a building a support team, but also pushing management systems to acknowledge the fact that we have multiple responsibilities So I'm just going to throw in a little activism there. I love what you said I love what you said and I stand for that. Yes, absolutely So my grandmother how she balanced life Was that every summer she went to europe? She would tell the clients you must have your you know approve the sketches Before I leave because i'm off to europe and you won't see me until I get back So that's how she balanced. She also had mentors And she also had a support system because you know bringing up a mother my mother On her own as a single mom So even back then support system was big Mentors were big And going on vacation, you know, she went over to europe Also to get renewed She saw that like yoga, you know, you go And guess you're saying going to europe without an iphone to tether you to the job Right was key for hildreth. Yes. Yeah, and people would say, you know, did you go and sketch, you know And but you went and got inspired. I mean she did go to revanna and the concert in opal and she did go to russia So she's traveled the world And she used to take her 16 millimeter camera I'm yeah movie camera And all those movies have been uh digitized down at the archives Yeah, 88 of them Smithsonian or the yeah the archives of american art. Yeah all her papers You know are down there. We have all her letters So if you come up to the gallery, you will see a video shot at the 1939 world's fair in color A woman shooting in color film in 1939 and it's hildreth doing a video of her own work at the world's fair in new york So certainly come up and see that I do want to ask one more question And then we'll leave a few minutes of anyone wants to come up and ask you guys questions I just want to highlight support system. I should have said that tail. Yes. Yes When I was answering the yes support system is key And and and katherine that's probably what you need to insert into what you're Dealing with Sometimes we don't realize the things we need to just pass on to someone else and and monitor And then let it go right Okay, but let it go. I'm sorry michelle. I didn't mean to no, no, that's quite right That's critical. Otherwise you can't And this might tie into my final question Which is if you could each go back in time and tell your 20 year old self one critical piece of advice and it must be only one One choice. What would it be? Let's start with me Okay, I'm gonna start with mazy. She's right in the middle. She thinks she's not gonna get picked first, but she is surprised Maisie, what would you tell 20 year old you? To just relax Who gets the ball? Yeah, it is it is hard Have more fun Just relax have more fun. Have more fun. Relax doesn't Okay, different different choices here have more fun Kathy, what would you say? You know, that's a really hard thing. Yeah You know to me it sort of says that you want to change a path a little bit Advice and I'm not sure I changed my path. I think I was really happy with the way my life rolled out and and you know And different stages of life So I think I would have said Yeah, just keep on doing what you're doing. Just keep on doing what you're doing that proceed is as you're proceeding. Yeah, great Margarita Lauren I think the the theme about just taking Like slowing down and relaxing maybe being not so much in your head on what's the next thing But being like present in the moment. I think uh, I think that would probably be the coaching I give myself one word Present Margarita I think I would tell myself Don't try to prove to everyone How good you are just Just believe in yourself Without having to prove it to others, right? I guess it's self-confidence. Maybe it would that be how do I make it one word? One word. Well, just one idea, but we'll we'll take it. That was great So thank you for that that range of advice. Thank you to all of you for coming to our panel If you have questions I think our speakers might be willing to talk to you one on one if some of you who are students might have An inquiry you would like to make and thank you so much Come to the show before it closes Saturday