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Women's History Month Part 2

                                  

I never thought that I would start writing with a definition from Wikipedia. I was so happy that the definition shown there included the word feminist. In my generational growth, the “Glass Ceiling” was spoken of quite often in magazine articles, women’s magazines in particular and even movies.

A glass ceiling is a metaphor used to represent an invisible barrier that prevents a given demographic from rising beyond a certain level in a hierarchy. The metaphor was first coined by feminists in reference to barriers in the careers of high-achieving women. Wikipedia

The two women we will read about next, had dreams, goals, families and the drive to shatter the                “ Glass Ceiling”

Indra Nooyi, 

When I first read about Mrs. Nooyi I was quite moved. I personally have not agreed with many of her outspoken statements. Even though I do not agree with them all, but I am fascinated by her approach to taking on challenges. 

Being an immigrant woman and being a family person, Mrs. Nooyi embodied a certain type of drive. As a Yale business school graduate, she pushed her way forward to achieve. Her story and memories of the first time she worked for an American company in India, show the cultural and diverse thinking that she started to bring to the table early in her career.

Years later, she embodied the forward momentum needed to take a major company into “new” ways of looking at products. As CEO of PepsiCo, Mrs. Nooyi introduced Baked Lays chips and Naked drinks made from fruits and vegetables. Both items became mainstays in the American Market.

Mrs. Nooyi’s book “My Life in Full” is an excellent road map to the making of a woman of the times. She traveled to many places before achieving this remarkable and yet attainable goal. 

This brings me to the former CEO of Xerox, Ursula M. Burns. Mrs. Burns' story of breaking the “Glass Ceiling” resonates also as a sign of those times. In 2009 she became the first Black female to hold the position as a CEO at a Fortune 500 company. She followed in the footsteps of the outgoing CEO Anne Mulcahey. Two women in a row as CEOs of a major corporation!

Ursula Burns was raised in low-income housing in lower Manhattan, NYC. Ursula was one of three children born to her Panamanian Immigrant parents. Ursula raised a family, nurtured her marriage and created a positive environment at XEROX. 

As an Engineer utilizing her areas of expertise during a 29-year career at Xerox prior to becoming the CEO, Ursula raised many “ceilings”.

I hope these blurbs raise your interest to read about these remarkable women.


    


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