The midstate is losing one of its last high-profile women executives. Rite Aid Chairwoman and CEO Mary Sammons will step down as CEO in June and will remain chairwoman of the board for the next two years. In an interview with The Patriot-News, Sammons said she was ready for the career change.
But Sammons’ move comes after Capital BlueCross President and CEO Anita M. Smith resigned in September 2008.
Admittedly, there are few companies the size of Rite Aid based in the midstate. Sammons is one of 15 women leading a Fortune 500 company.
But where are the midstate’s female leaders?
Women are running small and midlevel companies, including construction companies and IT businesses. Women are leading several of central Pennsylvania’s colleges, and women sit in the mayor’s office in Harrisburg and York.
Do women here face different challenges than male executives? Have they faced discrimination? Are there enough female leaders? Male or female, what matters is delivering, several female leaders said.
Jessica Myers, owner of JEM Group, a Harrisburg construction company with 18 employees, called central Pennsylvania “a pretty progressive area to do business in.”
“I think when you look at people like Mary Sammons and Anita Smith, those women are showing us that we do deserve a place at the table, and we can get there and be successful,” she said. “Those are two women that led very large, successful organizations, and I think that speaks to the openness of the community we work in here,” Myers said. “You don’t see that in all communities.”
The midstate will see more high-powered female executives, several predicted.
“There are more women together in senior positions, particularly in large companies,” said David Black, president and CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC. “There are a lot more female senior managers and executive vice presidents. I think they will be moving up into the CEO roles. We’ll be seeing a lot more of it in the next 10 years.”
Hurdles still exist
Still, some women struggle, said Lisa Stokes, president of BRP Entertainment.
“A lot of times I’m asked by clients, ‘Can you find me a female CEO or someone who’s made it through the glass ceiling?’ and I find it difficult,” she said. “I think that’s one of the things in the midstate that we search for and we don’t have a lot of examples to choose from, so that’s a loss.”
Stokes and many female executives said they belong to groups of women business owners or executives. “I draw my strength from other business women I respect, and also men,” she said.
Anne Deeter Gallaher, president and CEO of the marketing firm Deeter Gallaher Group LLC in Lower Allen Twp., would like to see more female executives. There are a lot of female vice presidents, but not so many in the corner office suites, Gallaher said.
Gallaher wants to see more executive women form mentor groups and discussion groups on what skills help other women achieve at the executive level, she said.
Women need to do a better job networking and helping each other, said Patti Husic, CEO at Centric Bank. “I think men have done that and done that very well,” Husic said. “I think women can go out of their way to help other female executives out and mentor other women.”
Many of the women interviewed said men and women have mentored them. “Look for mentors to push you out of your comfort zone. ... You will become a stronger leader,” Sammons said.
It’s not nearly as big a challenge to be a woman in a leadership position as it used to be, said state Sen. Pat Vance, R-Cumberland, who has been in politics for 30 years. “It’s more accepted, particularly from the younger generation. I still get some push back, but it’s from older men.”
In politics, women have a long way to go since there’s never been a female president, or a governor of Pennsylvania, Vance said. Men substantially outnumber women in the Pennsylvania Legislature.
“As a woman it’s very difficult to raise money the first time you run,” Vance said. Women need encouragement to run, she said.
With more women in the work force, Vance believes more will run for political office. They’ll become unhappy with the school board or township politics and get involved on that local level first, moving up to higher offices, she said.
But some women dislike efforts to give too much preference to women.
The Obama administration is aiming to give a boost to women-owned businesses. The U.S. Small Business Administration Wednesday released a proposed rule aimed at expanding federal contracting opportunities for women-owned small businesses.
Vance doesn’t like that women-owned businesses sometimes are given advantages, as if women need extra help, she said. “I’m not sure I think that’s fair,” she said.
Gallaher agreed, saying, “I am not about quotas. I don’t want you to hire me because I am a woman. I want you to hire me because I can move the bottom line.”
Most new businesses are started by women, Gallaher said. “If you feel you can’t break through, that’s the perfect time to start your own business. Create your own dynamic.”
The value of women
It’s important to have women in high-profile leadership positions, said Kim Phipps, president of Messiah College. Women bring an alternative perspective that leads to different decisions, plus they provide role models for younger women, she said.
Typically women excel at communication, motivating others, listening and seeking input from others and working collaboratively toward consensus, Phipps said.
As president and chief executive of the Holy Spirit Health System for 20 years, Sister Romaine Niemeyer has embraced that collaboration, giving employees opportunities to use their gifts.
“It’s like my family, so far as caring about all them and being interested in their well being, making sure the work environment is good and fair and just,” she said.
Employees find women executives approachable, Sammons said.
“People think of me as ‘Mary,’ and don’t have any problem with sending me notes or calling me or talking to me,” Sammons noted. “I think that is really important. I really understand faster and better when there are issues that need addressing.”
Not everybody wants to run a large company.
“Sure, I would love to see a female CEO of Chrysler, but it has to be right for the person, and I don’t know that I would make those sacrifices,” said Deb Pierson, who owns Pierson Computing Connection Inc. in Mechanicsburg, which employs nearly 40 people.
“I think we’re going to see many many more small CEOs, not Fortune 500, because it gives you more flexibility,” said Pierson. “I can’t imagine 1,000 people needing me to serve them. Forty is plenty.”
Women in academia
Several central Pennsylvania colleges are led by women, including Messiah College, Millersville University, Gettysburg College, Penn State Harrisburg and Harrisburg Area Community College. Nationwide, one in four college presidents are women, according to the American Council on Education.
“As I attend meetings or conferences among my peers around the country, the number of women still is substantially lower than male counterparts,” said Francine G. McNairy, president of Millersville University. “That is a concern.”
Women lead four of Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges, said Edna Baehre, president of Harrisburg Area Community College. Community colleges have more diverse students and employees, and that makes them more conducive to women getting to the top, Baehre said.
Since Baehre became president of HACC 13 years ago, enrollment has soared by 110 percent.
Baehre said she hasn’t faced overt sexism in years, but sometimes it’s hard to judge whether someone treats her differently from a man, Baehre said.
“Even in my earlier years here, we had some trustees here who didn’t look to me for financial expertise, but I think over time I’ve proved myself. I don’t know that was sexism. I think it was that I had to prove myself,” said Baehre, who plans to step down in the next few years.
Younger generations assume that women can be leaders, Vance said. “I just think we’ll see more and more,” Vance said. “If it’s not noteworthy in a story, you’ll know we’ve reached equality.”