On Nov. 13, the Women in Leadership club (WIL) hosted a panel featuring four local women leaders from across various fields. The panelists shared their insights on navigating career paths and growth, especially in male-dominated fields.
The discussion panel, held in the Brian Doyle Auditorium, was followed by a Q&A and networking session with light refreshments.
Renee Eaton, founder and retired CFO for RapidMade, began her introduction by walking the audience through the many careers she’s had. From working at her family’s business to being a manufacturing manager for Nabisco, Eaton has embraced the changes in stride.
“I think it's important to note to people that in your lifetime, you will likely have three to five distinct careers, and the sooner you embrace that, the quicker you'll be able to make that pivot from one thing to another,” Eaton said at the event.
The rest of the panelists agreed with this sentiment — all of them having experienced similar career changes. Elizabeth Lee, a process manager for the Portland bureau of environmental services, touched on the common thread in her different career paths.
“My research was focused on cultural differences in emotion regulation and understanding lived experiences of folks who are marginalized, and how do they cope with being discriminated against,” Lee said at the event. “I'm always focused on figuring out, ‘How do we redesign processes so that they are more fair and accessible and outcomes are more representative of the intentions that we care to deliver?’”
Though Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Innovations Joane Moceri’s career began in nursing, and currently still relates to that field, her journey was still a windy one. In between nursing and going into higher education, Moceri worked as a car dealer for almost a decade.
Morceri got into the car business through her husband, whose family owned a business. During her time there, she worked towards opening the door for other women to join.
“The car business is just organically misogynistic, I'll just say that,” Moceri said at the event. “I was the only woman. There were no women sales people, and so what I did was I worked towards hiring women.”
Leigh Anne Scherer, director of technology and information services for North Clackamas School District, began her career in elementary education, a largely women-dominated field. When she transitioned into technology, a field dominated by men, it was a jarring change.
Scherer emphasized being open to learning from peers, while also making your own decisions.
“Don’t be afraid to say that you don't understand something,” Scherer said at the event. “But also, don’t let that get in the way of you making the decision. Don’t let something else make the decision for you.”
Lee agreed with this idea to be open to new perspectives and opinions, but said to not doubt your expertise. She encouraged audience members to reflect on their experiences and become confident in their skills, especially in times of career transitions.
Additionally, Lee recognized that while being a leader is incredibly rewarding, it’s often daunting.
“A leader isn't the person who did it second,” Lee said at the event. “The leader is the person that is pointing out issues first, being an advocate and committing to seeing something through. And that can be deeply uncomfortable.”
Moceri, who has been in leadership positions since the start of her professional journey, concluded the panel with a final piece of advice: to put yourself first.
“Get good at leading yourself,” Morceri said at the event. “And then gradually, little by little, you can lead others.”
Samantha Zavala is the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at zavala27@up.edu
