By Suzanna de Baca, president and CEO, Business Publications Corp. When I first finished my MBA and began a career in financial services, I was often hesitant to offer my own opinion. Surrounded by many experienced and accomplished professionals, I frequently second-guessed my knowledge and held back in conversations. Over Read more…
By Emily Kestel The University of Iowa was recognized as a national leader in gender representation in leadership in a January 2022 study by the Eos Foundation. The study, called “The Women’s Power Gap at Elite Universities: Scaling the Ivory Tower,” examines the 130 public and private universities across the Read more…
By Emily Kestel, Fearless editor Representation and inclusion of all women in leadership positions continues to be an issue that businesses and organizations are dealing with. In our first Fearless Focus event of the year, we spoke with five women across the state about the personal and systemic barriers that women Read more…
By Suzanna de Baca, president and CEO, Business Publications Corp. If asked who my female heroes were when I was growing up, I would probably have said Joan of Arc, Frida Kahlo or Amelia Earhart – historical figures I admired for their bravery and independence. But looking back, the women Read more…
Thoughts ahead of Fearless Focus event on leadership By Emily Kestel Representation matters – especially in leadership. The latest data from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission shows that in Iowa’s private sector, women held 30% of executive-level leadership positions and 40% of midlevel management positions. Furthermore, women of color made Read more…
By Suzanna de Baca, president and CEO, Business Publications Corp. For many years, I worked on Wall Street in the financial industry. One day, I received an invitation to be interviewed on national television about a topic in my area of expertise. I was excited and confident until I got Read more…
By Emily Kestel Say you’re in an all-staff meeting the day after a poor quarterly sales earning report comes out. The mood in the room is tense, but nobody’s mentioning it, preferring instead to focus on the sales team’s wins in hopes of boosting morale. Or maybe you’ve got a Read more…
By Suzanna de Baca, president and CEO, Business Publications Corp. Recently, someone asked me to be a part of a very worthwhile civic project and I heard the word “yes” coming out of my mouth even though the words going through my head were: “You don’t have time right now.” Read more…
By Emily Kestel Since the beginning of the Fearless initiative, we’ve been adamant about connection being one of its core values. Women are often seen as the glue that holds communities together – but women often lack opportunities to sit at tables where decisions are made about how the communities Read more…
By Suzanna de Baca, president and CEO, Business Publications Corp. What have you said yes to? Once I said yes to a job that paid much less than I had been making, required relocation from a city I loved, and involved personal danger. Why? I believed so deeply in the Read more…