Despite the many challenges, obstacles and societal pressures faced along the way, six local women who’ve achieved success took part in the “Owensboro Women Leading the Way” panel during Thursday’s Rooster Booster. They were celebrated for their work ethic and determination to get to the top.
The virtual event was hosted by Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Candance Castlen Brake, and was moderated by Girls Inc. of Owensboro-Daviess County CEO Tish Correa-Osborne.
Correa-Osborne referred to the participants as a “distinguished panel of strong, smart, bold women.”
“As I look at each and every one of you, I am just really overcome with the wealth, the knowledge, the experience and the expertise that all of you have been sharing all your lives and have been bringing to the table,” she said. “We cannot thank you enough for that, and it’s pretty darn breathtaking.”
Correa-Osborne called the panel of women “trailblazers” in a number of different ways. Each had their own set of obstacles and stories that led them to their distinct positions in the community, she said, making their paths to success all the more relevant during Women’s History Month.
Jean Wells served as an administrator and consultant throughout the state before going on to build and/or acquire 38 nursing homes across the Commonwealth through her own self-started company, Wells Health Systems.
Even though the majority of employees in the long-term care industry were women, Wells said earning respect in the male-driven sector of ownership and management was another story.
“Being brought to the dance was one thing. Being asked to dance was totally different,” she said. “Breaking that barrier was quite an effort and took a lot of years.”
Early on in her career, Brenda Clayton — who owns her own CPA firm — said she struggled with what was expected of a female in the workplace. When she was pregnant with her first child, the number one question she got was, “Are you going to work after having the baby?”
“I finally got tired of it and said, ‘Well, I can’t afford not to,’” Clayton said. “That seemed to be the satisfactory answer. Not the, ‘Of course I’m going to work. I enjoy what I do.’”
Susan Montalvo-Gesser, director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Owensboro, serves as the second woman to represent the Supreme Court’s 2nd District Board of Governors for the Kentucky Bar Association, and is the first Latina to be appointed to the position.
As a Latina woman living in a city where she was a minority, Montalvo-Gesser said she determined early on that she had no room for error.
“With that, it kind of gave me a Type A personality where I felt like I had to achieve, achieve, achieve and be the smartest person in the room,” she said. “When people thought I was crazy for having contractions 13 minutes apart during two law school exams — I did that because that’s what I thought was expected of me.”
Alma Randolph — who previously served as executive director of the Owensboro Human Relations Commission and HR Specialist for the City of Owensboro before becoming a private consultant and chair of the Alma Randolph Foundation — grew up in Beaver Dam, with an African-American population below 1%.
At the time, Randolph said she didn’t realize that experience was preparing her for a future filled with situations and surroundings where she would be the only person of color present.
“At the age of 24 I was approached by a former mayor, Web Harris, and encouraged to run for city council,” she said. “I jumped in right away, too green to understand that it was a big deal I was trying to take on. We had 10 males running for a seat, and [me]. When I won, I was scared to death … I was successful and scared to death.”
Livingston Travel founder Jane Noble said she had big dreams but was facing bankruptcy as a divorced, single mother of two children. Noble received financial support and advice from a former Chamber of Commerce official who wanted to see her start her own company.
With common themes revolving around having faith and taking risks, Correa-Osborne asked each of the women what they wished they’d known sooner in life.
“Don’t hesitate to be a proud female and speak your mind,” Noble said. “Oftentimes, I found myself a little hesitant to share my opinion.”
Montolvo-Gesser said she would tell her younger self to stop feeling guilty for not being able to achieve a perfect work/life balance, saying she’d learned over time that there was no such thing.
“You are where you are. Be present when you’re there,” she added. “Put [the guilt] aside and compartmentalize. Remove the guilt because you are where you need to be. That quantity time with your kids is just as important as that quality time.”
For Randolph, she’d learned that it was important to stand up for what you believed in, even when it felt like you were standing alone.
“If you have to find a seal of approval from others to do what’s right, you’re constantly going in circles and not being true to yourself,” she said.
Cindy Fiorella, currently the Vice President of Workforce Solutions at Owensboro Community and Technical College, also participated in the panel. She said she has worked in downtown revitalization, pipeline services and community education in years past.
“We’ve all had passions — things that made us tick — but we’ve all had people who supported us, either through encouragement or financially,” Fiorella said. “That’s an incredible asset because this community is the perfect size to get our arms around. And I think that’s what sets Owensboro apart.”
