Women in Leadership Conference held at Cal U.
Paul Paterra/Observer-Reporter
State Rep. Donna Oberlander, R-Armstrong/ Clarion/Forest, served as the keynote speaker for the Women in Leadership Conference held Nov. 4 at California University of Pennsylvania.
Kristie Salzman, Washington County sheriff deputy, makes a point during the Women in Leadership Conference Nov. 4 at California University of Pennsylvania. With her on her panel are, from left, Carmelle Nickens, founder of the Rural Arts Collaborative; Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, president, California University of Pennsylvania, and Tina Walker, deputy superintendent, Centralized Services.
A number of women from various professional walks of life told their stories last week at California University of Pennsylvania about the paths they traveled on the road to success.
The prevailing theme was whatever your goals and dreams are, work hard to achieve them and don’t be discouraged by any obstacle that may be placed in your way.
“If you have a dream or a passion, just follow that and go with that,” said Jennifer Orr, owner and operator of Harmony Acres Dairy in Belle Vernon. “Trust your gut. Find someone who’s doing what you want to do and follow them. Reach out to them.”
The women spoke Thursday at the Women in Leadership Conference in the university’s Convocation Center. Among those in attendance were students from the California Area School District
The event was hosted by state Rep. Bud Cook, (R-Washington/Fayette), who said he believed the conference was the first of its kind in the commonwealth.
There were three panels of women featured.
Panel one consisted of state Reps. Donna Oberlander (R-Armstrong/Clarion/Forest), Valerie Gaydos (R-Allegheny) and Carrie Lewis DelRosso (R-Allegheny/Westmoreland). Oberlander served as keynote speaker. Rep. Natalie Mihalek (R-Allegheny/Washington) was originally scheduled to participate, but was not able to attend.
Panel two consisted of women in other industries: Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, interim president of California University; Carmelle Nickens, founder of the Rural Arts Collaborative, Kristie Salzman, Washington County sheriff deputy, and Tina Walker, deputy superintendent at Centralized Services.
Panel Three featured women in the trades: Heaven Caldwell, CDL instructor; Claire Cawley, organizer for the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades; Michelle Heron, chief financial officer for The Mon River Industrial Group, and Jennifer Orr, owner of Harmony Acres Dairy.
Many of the speakers talked about their work in what they classified as “male-dominated industries.”
Oberlander made history in January 2020 by becoming the first Republican woman and only the second woman in the history of the Pennsylvania General Assembly to be elected as Majority Whip, the third highest position in the House Republican Caucus. She talked about meeting with a lot of opposition during her political career, especially while running for caucus secretary.
“People told me, ‘You should really just wait your turn,” Oberlander recalled, but she decided to run for the position and won by a scant two votes. “It’s about the skills and abilities and relationships that you build to make the job yours and do it well.
“You don’t just walk into anything. I’ve fought tooth and nail every step of the way and continue to fight tooth and nail every step of the way, because if I believe in it and I think I can do it, I’m going to get there or die trying.”
DelRosso said she faced some of the same negative reaction. In November 2020, she defeated longtime Rep. Frank Dermody, who was House Minority leader at the time.
“I was told, ‘Wait your turn,'” she said. “If anyone tells you to wait your turn, it’s because they’re afraid of you. Don’t wait your turn. Go forward.”
Caldwell is in a business that is mainly known for being done by men. She said currently only about 10% of truck drivers are women, but the number is growing. Her advice: Work had and never give up on what you want.
“Every day I went to work, I worked as hard as I could,” Caldwell said. “There are days you go home crying, thinking, ‘What am I doing here? I can’t do this.’ You absolutely can. Just don’t ever give up on it.”
Walker is definitely in a male-dominated business – corrections. But she had a supervisor who served as a quality mentor for her and helped her to become the third in charge at a male-dominated maximum security prison.
“He would always tell me, ‘Keep working hard, it’s going to pay off,'” Walker said. “He taught us it’s OK to be emotional. It’s OK to bring passion and feelings into it. He taught me to hunt the good stuff. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in.”
Walker also said she’s dealt with bad leaders in her career, but that’s helped her to succeed as well.
“I’ve dealt with some very poor leaders who have treated women terribly,” she recalled. “Those bad leaders actually may have done better for me. I want to prove them wrong.”
Salzman, who has been in law enforcement for 28 years, said she was the one female among 54 cadets when she entered the police academy. She was told by someone she should be home playing with Barbie Dolls.
“Do I look like I ever played with Barbie Dolls?” she joked. “That negative attitude lit a fire. Let it light that fire in you. I can honestly tell you, you can do great things from that negative attitude. Take that negative, let it light a fire in you and if they tell you you can’t, laugh at them when you do, because you can. Don’t let anybody change what you want to do with your life.”
Also, Carol Ann Stotka, of Fallowfield Township, was recognized as the guest of honor.
Stotka was one of the first women coal miners at the Bethlehem Mines, Ellsworth division, in 1974. The first day on the job began with male employees gathering at the bottom of the mine elevator in revolt of the women coming into the mine.
“Guys were yelling, ‘We don’t want you,’ and they started dumping out their water,” Stotka said on a video interview, adding the dumping of the water signified the men wouldn’t work that day. “The mine foreman said, ‘Whoever dumps out their water here today may not have a job tomorrow.’ They aren’t leaving. The government has sent them here. They are here to stay.”
Cook offered one final thought, especially geared to the young people in attendance.
“Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life,” he said. “Make it a good one. Make it yours. Do what you want to do, what you want to learn.”