Despite the blowing snow, howling winds, and icy roadways, Career
Development Services’ 7th annual Women in Leadership panel
discussion was a roaring success!
The night started off with Uva Coles, Vice
President of Institutional Advancement & Strategic Partnerships, who
welcomed the crowd with rousing remarks about Peirce’s commitment to diversity
and inclusion. President Jim Mergiotti
followed by reminding everyone of Peirce’s long history of commitment to women’s
education. Peirce College was the second college in Pennsylvania to admit women
as students, along with the first school to treat women and men equally by
allowing all genders to use the same doorway to enter. That legacy and commitment to equality
endures as Peirce continually celebrates the accomplishments of women across
all industries.
Our all-star cast of panelists included:
· Dina
Galeotafiore, Senior Vice President, Executive Search, Comcast
Corporation
· Nicole
Pullen Ross, Managing Director, Investment Management at
Goldman Sachs
· Jane
Slusser, Chief of Staff, Office of the Mayor, City of
Philadelphia
· Susan
V. Van Buren, Former Assistant General Manager, Human Resources
Division, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)
· Eloise
Young, Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning &
Information Services at Philadelphia Gas Works
The panel was expertly moderated by Dr. Rita Toliver-Roberts, Vice President of Academic Advancement,
who kicked off the conversation with a question about the number
of women executives in corporate leadership. The panelists were
lively and engaging when answering this question and more, and the crowd rose
to the occasion, matching the panelists’ energy with questions about
counteracting discrimination in the workplace, achieving work-life balance,
decision-making, and other topics.
Much of the conversation revolved around pivoting when necessary and
building yourself along with your team.
When looking to find your place in the world, Nicole Pullen Ross
reminded us that “if you can bring out the best in people, the view of many
outweighs the view of a few.” Along that same line, Jane Slusser assured the
room that “you don’t win by beating your opponent when governing, you win by
working together.”
Susan Van Buren provided a pearl of wisdom about team building and goal
attainment: “in order to satisfy the external customers, you must first satisfy
the internal customers: your employees.” When asked about specializing or being
a jack-of-all-trades, Eloise Young explained how this will vary from person to person, but no matter who you are, where you are or what you're doing, “it’s
very important to be very good at where you are on the ladder.”
One of my favorite quotes of the night was from Dina Galeotafiore:
“Don’t give up. Be patient. Be strategic and be thoughtful how you can drive
toward that outcome.”
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Women in Leadership 2017. We
look forward to seeing you next year!
