This story was reported for San Diego News Network on August 26, 2009.
It was 1848 and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, along with other American women, simply wanted the right to vote.
More than 150 years later, not only can women vote but they are climbing the ladder in every industry available in the U.S. In San Diego, women have much to celebrate this Women’s Equality Day with a number of poignant leaders who prove that women, at the least, deserve one day for their accomplishments.
Here is SDNN’s short list of eight great women who have broken the glass ceiling.
Maureen O’Connor
Some know her as Mayor Mo’. Others know her as the politician who spent a night with the homeless, in disguise, to see how they lived. And her former colleagues may still recall her as the young woman who attended meetings in jeans.
Her birth name though, is Maureen O’Connor.
O’Connor ran for San Diego City Council in 1971, the same year 21-year-olds were given the right to vote. After knocking on numerous doors with her sisters and asking “the women to give a woman a chance,” she won the seat and served until 1979.
“They called us the ‘Kiddie Campaign’,” O’Connor said. “We set our own limits on contributions to $250 because I didn’t want anyone to ask me to do something that wasn’t in the best interest of the city.”
O’Connor, who attended meetings in jeans, served when there aren’t women in the police or fire department in San Diego.
In 1983, she decided she was ready for the next step in her career: the mayoral seat. She lost but won the seat in 1985 when the incumbent mayor, Roger Hedgecock resigned – making her the first female mayor of San Diego.
Among her greatest accomplishments as mayor, O’Connor said, were encouraging women and minorities to get into public service, turning the international spotlight on to San Diego, working with residents to reduce their water usage by 25 percent and protecting the city’s proudest areas, like the parks and beaches.
Her ambition and drive was created with the help of her parents.
“There’s a thread of inspiration from my parents,” she said. “My parents inspired me early on. My mother was fantastic, my father unbelievable – they put no shackles on me because I was a woman.”
Despite O’Connor’s accomplishments and those of other women – she isn’t content with the way Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been treated by the media or the general public.
“She’s the secretary of state and they talk about her pants suits,” she said. “Why don’t they do that with the head of the CIA?”
“Women take one step forward and we get pushed back a little bit. [Hillary Clinton] She did a lot of work and now it’s dependent upon the young women going forward to realize that, respect it and try and do it themselves.
They have a right to be sitting at the desk of the president of the U.S.”
Nancy Laturno Bojanic
If there’s one woman who can turn a festival into a completely historic and inspiring success, it’s Nancy Laturno Bojanic.
Bojanic and conductor David Atherton began Mainly Mozart in 1988 as merely a festival. Over time, she would nurture Mainly Mozart into an organization that offered San Diegans a unique experience to hear the finest classical music while being educated about the sounds.
Like the other ceiling-breakers though, Bojanic had a lot to learn. She said like many women, she took on too much work and didn’t ask for enough from others.
“An older female mentor pulled me aside in my early work years and cautioned me against the ‘Superwoman Syndrome’ that she recognized in herself and saw in me,” she said. “I think that typically, women try to please too many masters — as a professional, mother, aunt, wife, partner, friend, neighbor and volunteer — at the expense of self-care.”
This was and continues to be Bojanic’s biggest challenge. But most people in the local music scene can agree, her “Superwoman” abilities have inspired many.
Her own inspiration comes from the people she sees every day.
“I find inspiration in the people I am fortunate enough to work with – Mainly Mozart’s incredibly dedicated staff, our amazing artists, and the patrons and volunteers whose passion for what we do keeps me excited and energized,” said Bojanic, who cites festival artistic director David Atherton for his commitment to excellence. “My teenage son Mark and husband Radomir keep me focused on what is most important in my life and provide the support – and the fun – that enable me to stay fresh in my work and my outlook even after so many years.”
Bojanic also credits many of her accomplishments to being a woman. She said she never thought about money when entering the arts industry because she was more focused on her ultimate passion. Bojanic said she loves the strength of being a female and suggest all women cultivate the same strength.
“I have embraced my strengths as a woman to succeed in my career,” she said. “I have never tried to behave or compete as a man. I learned early on that people react better to me when I am spontaneous, vulnerable and honest than when I am polished and rehearsed.”
Dede Alpert
The drive to improve the lives of those in her community pushed Dede Alpert into politics and she came out as a role model to many.
Alpert entered the political scene in the 1980s on the Solana Beach School Board. After a seven-year run, she decided she had higher aspirations and ran for the California Legislature where she served in the Assembly for three terms and Senate for two – the most any state legislator can serve.
A woman who has worked with Voices for Children, Girl Scouts and other local community organizations, Alpert was one of few women who served on the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Joint Committee on the Master Plan for Education.
As chair of the education committee, Alpert spearheaded a plan for improving the state’s education system, co-authored a bill to allow for the renovation of public libraries, and took part in many other education-focused bills.
Alpert wasn’t daunted by tasks that came to her as a legislator. In fact, she said the biggest challenge for her was simply living a life in two different cities (Sacramento and San Diego).
She credits her accomplishments to those who have inspired her and those who have mentored her.
“The wonderful work done by community people every day with little or no recognition [inspire me],” Alpert said. “They volunteer in hospitals, churches, schools, with the young and the old and truly make our country what it is.”
Although Alpert has been out of the political scene for five years, she’s hoping more women will choose to run for office.
“Women in the U.S. have made great progress in my lifetime but our dream of being half of the elected representatives is no closer than it was in 1992 –the Year of the Woman,” she said. “We need to keep working to encourage young women to go into public service so that the issues we all care about, education, child care, health care, the environment, have the views of men and women alike taken into account.
We must never forget our sisters in other parts of the world. In many places women are denied an education, beaten, raped and even enslaved. We need to speak up and speak out to change this.”
Leigh Fenly and Winifred Cox
When it comes to women from other parts of the world, Leigh Fenly and Winifred Cox are ensuring that they’re not forgotten.
Fenly and Cox are the founders of Women’s Empowerment International, an organization that provides business loans to women living in poverty – including women in San Diego, where WE was formed.
The launch of the organization wasn’t easy though. Cox said some people have called their approach “impossible… to helping the world’s poor.”
The organization is simply made up of a board of directors, members and volunteers with no employees. This means any funds that come through WE go directly to women in need. And, in most cases, Fenly and
Cox have been able to help women start their businesses with $100 or less.
“It always helps to look back and remember that only five years ago 12 women were sitting around a table taking the first steps to creating WE,” Fenly said. “Now we have more than 400 members and have raised more than $250,000 for our programs. ”
Their inspiration comes from the women they work with and what they are able to do with $100. Cox said she recently met two sisters in Honduras who built a flower business and fish farm – each with $100 – and now they are able to support their families. Another woman supports herself and three children when she bought eight chickens.
“They’re against-all-odds determination not only inspires me, it humbles me,” Cox said.
Because of the recession though, Fenly and Cox are forced to work harder than ever. Fenley said the economic downturn has hurt women the most.
“Economic downturns always hit women hardest,” she said. “Women are most likely to be marginally employed and more likely to be the sole wage earner.”
But WE is pushing through and both women know that much work still needs to be done throughout the world.
“There is so much work to be done, in this city, country and around the world, to help people who are trapped by poverty and injustice,” Cox said. “A glass ceiling won’t stop you, and you’ll attract other committed souls to join you on that journey.”
Jane Hopkins
Rolling Readers USA was created in 1991 with the knowledge that “all children deserve to be literate.” Their mission: Understanding that reading aloud to children increases literacy rates, Rolling Readers garnered volunteers to read to children from socially and economically disadvantaged communities nationwide.
After the founder, Robert Condon, died in 1999, the organization saw a minor decrease in volunteers.
That’s when Jane Hopkins stepped in. Hopkins would first become a volunteer, then became the president in 2004, where she took Rolling Readers under her wing and resurrected the organization.
Hopkins, a former employee for the Dept. of Army in Service Clubs and teacher, had some obstacles when she took on the role as president.
“My huge challenge was to learn all the skills necessary to run a small business and to become knowledgeable about the world of non- profits,” Hopkins said.
Over time, Hopkins learned how to use QuickBooks and Excel, and how to conduct audits and read financial reports. And in the world of non-profits, Hopkins learned how to fundraise and seek development opportunities for Rolling Readers.
Her hard work has paid off – she knows it, because she sees it once a week when she sees the children.
“Those children all deserve to be literate and I want to do whatever I can to make that a reality,” Hopkins said. “Literate citizens have more satisfying lives and build a stronger community. Teachers are expected to do more than ever these days, so if I can help them achieve their goals for their students, I want to do that.”
But the improvement of education for children isn’t Hopkins only focus. She is adamant about improving the lives of women and encourages others to break the “glass ceiling.”
“Women are still facing a variety of issues stemming from cultural and societal biases,” Hopkins said. “These include lack of encouragement to continue education, restricted employment opportunities, unequal pay, and the expectations for women at home and in the workplace.
“The cracks in the glass will increase and eventually the ceiling will shatter if women continue to follow their passions and don’t take no for an answer,” Hopkins said. “They need to pursue all opportunities and continue their education.”
Jennifer Thorn
Warnings that it may be hard for her to start a business didn’t faze Jennifer Thorn. In fact, if anything, they probably pushed her.
In 2005, Thorn and three women colleagues formed MOXIE – a local theatre whose mission is to “create more diverse and honest images of women for our culture using the art of theatre.”
Thorn, alongside Jo Ann Glover, Liv Kellgran and Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, utilize the works of women playwrights that “defies the stereotypes of what women are writing about.” The four women define MOXIE as “courage, pluck, gumption, perseverance and guts.”
But the creation of the theatre took work , and Thorn had to learn how to manage her 14-hour-work days with her husband and baby.
She’s inspired by her three MOXIE “sisters.”
“At the end of the day when I’m tired and ready to quit, it’s the women I work with who inspire me to push forward,” Thorn said. “Watching them balance their lives outside MOXIE while continuing to be brave artists who live what they preach inspires me.”
One of the biggest lessons Thorn hopes women take away from MOXIE is the lesson of supporting other women.
“First, if we want art by women to be valued then we ought to start valuing it ourselves,” she said. “Most women don’t make an effort to consume art by women in equal amounts to the art they take in by men.”‘
She also lives by a tip from her mother: living well is the best revenge.
Michelle Burkart
The cheerleader for the underdog business owner, Michelle Burkart is the founder of THINKbusiness, a company that helps businesses succeed at an affordable consulting price.
But her resume digs back deeper than THINKbusiness. Burkart founded a landscape design company that was sold to a Fortune 500 company in 1990 and has worked with major heavy-hitters like Apple, Hewlett-Packard and the Mariott Corportation.
Burkart started THINKbusiness in 1998 and has served as on the board for the Greater San Diego Business Association and the San Diego LGBT Chamber of Commerce since 2000 among other business-focused organizations.
Despite her accomplishments, Burkart does find one big challenge in her career – finding the efficient amount of time for all her clients. But she’s determined by people she has met over her lifetime.
“I believe that the ‘who’ part of this question is important for me,” Burkart said. “Those people who positively meet the challenge of living life to the fullest no matter what the circumstances.”
Those people who often meet the challenge may be the many women who still do not receive pay equal to their counterparts – and it’s the most “pressing issue” she said.
“From my experience, I feel the most pressing issue for women everywhere is the ability to provide financial security for themselves, and/or their families,” Burkart said. “In the States, we have a new family structure that includes singlehood choices; or a high divorce rate which was not as prevalent as in the past. Yet, women still do not earn equal pay for equal work so this impacts their ability to provide for their financial security.”
However, women still have the ability to succeed, she said.
“I would say that women are more intuitive in nature which provides a new dimension to the ability to be a successful CEO of any company, or entrepreneur of their own business,” Burkart said. “My advice would be to follow those instincts even when challenged by outside input. It is sometimes lonely at the top.”
Deborah Szekely
It was 1940 when Deborah Szekeley co-founded Rancho La Puerta, one of the world’s premier resort and spa.
“Getting started and getting to know myself and my own capacity was a huge challenge,” Szekely said.
She said she had to learn a lot about her businesses, being innovative and learning to customize herself and the resort from others.
But 87-year-old Szekely was driven by one aspect – poverty. Szekely comes from a poor Brooklyn family and was determined to no longer live that lifestyle as an adult.
She was also determined to do all she could to ensure other people were living good lives too. Szekely has also worked with a number of organizations in the world that focus on education and the welfare of all people – organizations like the U.S.-Mexico Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange and the Inter-American Foundation.
Szekely, who has served as role model for many women, said women need to overcome one problem — their poor self-image. She said at least 80 to 90 percent of women do not have high expectations of themselves and it needs to change before women can further break the glass ceiling.
But she said, being “well-prepared, energetic and always, always optimistic,” will get women far.
Hoa Quach is the political editor for the San Diego News Network. She is also a board member of Rolling Readers USA.