| News Back Several women in boise climb career peaks By Nan Connolly - The Idaho Statesman Boise businesswoman Meg Carlson has been named president of Kickstand, a networking group of 650 entrepreneurs and tech executives who have never had a female leader. Her selection for the visible post is one of several instances recently of professional women rising to the top echelons of their fields in Idaho. "The driver of business success now is the best people," Carlson said. "Gender is not a defining issue. Boise is a very supportive place to be successful." Carlson's confident, optimistic outlook earns her high praise in the business community, none of it related to her gender. "Meg is such a fixture in the local business community," said Jefferson Jewel, a co-founder of Blackfin Technology of Boise and Kickstand's outgoing president. "She brings a tremendous background and great experience. Her leadership will definitely contribute to Kickstand's continued growth and success." Carlson is not the only woman to veer toward the boardroom or other executive post recently : • Earlier this week, Micron Technology Inc. announced that a veteran semiconductor industry finance executive, Mercedes Johnson, would join its board of directors. She is Micron's first female board member. • Last month, Hewlett-Packard Co. announced that it was promoting Cathy T. Lyons, a Boise-based imaging and printing executive, to the company's executive committee, reporting to chief executive Mark Hurd. • Under the leadership of Cheryl Schrader, dean of engineering at Boise State University, BSU's engineering faculty last month received national acclaim for offering opportunities to women professors in a stereotypically male field. Do these women, who occupy the executive suite of HP, the board room of Micron, the dean's chair at a university and the leadership of a networking group, signify a level playing field for women's careers? Charles Elson, a noted authority on corporate boards and governance, thinks so. "The world has changed. As more women mature in their careers they are included in the pool of candidates. The broader the net you cast the better the catch you pull in," said Elson, who directs the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware in Newark. Renee Galligher, director of program management at Cougar Mountain Software in Boise, is among several women working in technology in the Boise area who dismiss gender bias. "I don't see any lines drawn in what you can accomplish. I have been persistent, I've worked hard and I've been rewarded accordingly," Galligher said. "I encourage women who want to take a leadership role." That kind of encouragement and a willingness to mentor other women is important, said Carlson, the new Kickstand president. "There's a great network of people anxious to reinvest in people here," she said. "Boise is supportive as opposed to cut-throat." From her post as a Wells Fargo vice president and also a vice president of Leadership Boise Academy, a Chamber of Commerce program, Nora Mickelson also sees progress. She noted that applications for the leadership program are increasing from women. "I would love to think this is a trend," Mickelson said. "It's taken a while for capable women to be accorded positions commensurate with their abilities. It looks like now there are equal opportunities for many women in Boise.". Edition Date: 07-02-2005 Back |