Recently, I was one of several women interviewed by Stepfanie Romine of the Enquirer for an article she was writing about some past and current winners of the YWCA Career Women of Achievement award and how women are doing in Cincinnati. She quoted me as saying: "This is a really good time for women in Cincinnati. We have some terrific women in very visible leadership roles." If you missed Stepfanie's article, search for 'A Good Time for Women' in the Business Section of the Sunday, March 16, 2008 edition of the Enquirer.
I want to elaborate on my view that Cincinnati is a good place for women to achieve leadership positions. The list of high profile women in key roles is impressive and grows each week. And numbers do count. So I want to note a few of the women who are changing the face and fabric of doing business in Cincinnati.
Perhaps best known is Dr. Nancy Zimpher, President of the University of Cincinnati, who is revitalizing U.C., raising the bar for students and faculty and finding ways to connect the university with the economic growth of the region. Other women in notable positions are Margaret Buchanan, Publisher of the Enquirer, Kathryn Merchant, CEO of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Ellen van der Horst, CEO of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce, Kay Geiger, recently appointed Regional President of PNC Bank, Susan Croushore, CEO of Christ Hospital, Sandra Meyer, President of Duke Energy Ohio-Kentucky, Charlotte Otto, Global External Relations, P&G, Susan Arnold, President, Global Business, P&G, Maribeth Rahe, CEO of Ft. Washington Investment Advisors and Charlene Ventura, CEO of the YWCA. All of these women were recognized as part of "The Power 100 - the Tristate's Most Influential People" - by Cincy Magazine (February 2008).
Other successful women who are leading and owning their businesses are Cynthia Booth, CEO of COBCO Enterprises, who owns seven McDonald's franchises and works on national initiatives for McDonald's, Janet Reid, CEO of Global Lead Management, who travels throughout the world as a consultant to significant international companies on diversity and workplace issues, Candace Kendle, Chairman/CEO of Kendle International Inc., a publicly traded company medical research company with operations inside and outside of the U.S., and Tillie Hidalgo Lima, CEO of Best Upon Request, a concierge service to major corporations and building owners.
Women are also leading significant nonprofit organizations. A few outstanding examples are: Dianne Dunkelman, founder and CEO of National Speaking of Women's Health, delivering health and wellness information to tens of thousands of women each year through workshops, books and the internet, Donna Jones Baker, CEO of Urban League of Cincinnati, advancing the mission of eliminating the barriers of racism and leveling the playing field for African Americans, Sara Peller, CEO of the Red Cross of Cincinnati, providing care and shelter to victims of emergencies, and Shannon Carter, founder and CEO of Crayons to Computers, providing a warehouse of school supplies to the area's teachers.
Arts organizations are becoming well represented by women leaders. Mary McCullough-Hudson is President and CEO of the Fine Arts Fund, D. Lynn Meyers is Artistic Director of the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, Victoria Morgan is Artistic Director and CEO of the Cincinnati Ballet and Patty Beggs is General Director and CEO of the Cincinnati Opera.
Women are making an impact in government positions. Hon. Sandra Beckwith and Hon. Susan Dlott serve as United States District Judges and several of our elected municipal and common pleas court judges are women. Cincinnati City Council includes Laketa Cole, Leslie Ghiz and Roxanne Qualls (former Mayor of Cincinnati). This fall two women will compete for the Second District seat to the U.S. House of Representatives, incumbent Jean Schmidt and challenger Victoria Wulsin. Captain Terry Theetge is the new police commander of District 1 and Marilyn Shazor is the new President and CEO of Queen City Metro. And not to be overlooked are the many lawyers, doctors, accountants and other professionals who are succeeding in formerly male dominated arenas.
I am a lawyer with Thompson Hine, a firm of over 400 lawyers with offices in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, New York, Washington, D.C., and Brussels, Belgium. I was the first woman elected to the firm's Executive Committee in 1999 and since 2001, I have been the Partner in Charge of the Cincinnati Office, the firm's second largest office with approximately 70 attorneys. During my nearly 30 year career, I have seen significant changes in my profession. Women regularly take the lead in our client's most important litigation cases or transactional matters and are asked to assume key management responsibilities at the firm. Just as noteworthy are the programs that most large firms have implemented to focus on women's issues. Thompson Hine has the "Spotlight on Women" initiative that has a two fold purpose of providing mentoring and support to our associates as they strive to balance the demands of family and career and of providing networking opportunities with our women clients.
The women identified above are only a FEW of the women I know and respect. They are just a representative sample, but I hope they make the point that there are significant opportunities for women to rise to the top of their professions. However, the picture is not perfect in Cincinnati. Even with this impressive list of women, we are still under represented in terms of the numbers of women who are in the top positions of every sector. And in my own legal profession, approximately 30 percent of the nation's lawyers are women, but only about 15% are partners.
Tremendous progress is being made. And my personal view is that when women see other women succeeding, that gives the evidence and encouragement that more women can reach their goals. This is not just a "woman's issue". When our community sees high profile women making significant contributions, more doors are opened for businesses, professions and government to select the best qualified person for the position regardless of gender. I think Cincinnati is establishing a strong framework to make that a reality.
What do you think?