‘Outstanding’ women

For the past five years, I have had the enviable task of getting know some of New Hampshire’s most powerful and talented women as I write the profiles for NHBR’s annual “Outstanding Women in Business” awards.

We announced our six winners for 2010 (2010 Outstanding Women in Business), and again I am simply amazed by these women. Their list of experiences and accomplishments is proudly and almost dauntingly long. And, of course, it goes without saying they run solid businesses and organizations.

If there was a theme among this year’s winners, it would be “balance.”

Almost to a woman, each winner stressed the importance creating balance in one’s life. That isn’t to say these women do not lead full lives – they’d probably tell you their lives are TOO full.

But that is precisely why having structure in one’s life and nurturing oneself are so important.

All of these women are caretakers after a fashion – whether it’s caring for the health of banks, businesses or bodies – they have all learned the difficult lesson of caring for oneself, too, in order to help others.

This year, I am absolutely thrilled and blessed to call three of the winners my friends. And, for the record, I have absolutely nothing to do with the nomination, selection or judging process.

Here are a few of my personal impressions of this years winners.

Mary DeVeau, Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association

Mary DeVeau’s job is president and CEO of the Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association, but you might describe her career as taking care of caregivers.

Mary realized relatively early in her career as a nurse that she could have an impact for the better on more lives by nurturing those who stand at the bedside. For the past 12 years, she has been holding the healing hands of the 300-member staff at Concord VNA – not to pull them back from experiences but to push them to achieve their personal best.

“I really think women have such great opportunities today,” says Mary, “but we need to learn to balance that.”

Laurie Ferguson, NH Made

From a boarding school in New Hampshire to the boardrooms of Madison Avenue and back again, Laurie Ferguson has combined her approachable, down-to-earth communication style with her knowledge of cutting-edge advertising campaigns and brand-building to put some of the Granite State’s smallest businesses on the map. And she’s loved almost every minute of it.

Laurie has dared to mold, shape and transform her career around her passions -- and not the other way around, as so many others might do.

As the mother of two boys, she found herself newly single and without much money when she decided to start her own marketing firm – few situations are more risky.

But that’s exactly how Laurie was able to grow and succeed, by not being afraid to take a chance. And she invites us all to do the same.

As she says, “There’s nothing you really can’t recover from.”

For me, Laurie has been a model to show how to wrap that career around myself, and turn it into something I want.

Melanie Gosselin, New Hampshire Food Bank

Strength and conviction are always behind great achievements, but sometimes human frailty also can bring out the best in people. That’s why those seeking a meal through the New Hampshire Food Bank can owe their dinners to what Melanie Gosselin calls “terrible stage fright.”

Melanie graduated with a degree in classical guitar from Keene State College, but discomfort while performing set her upon a different path.

She instead worked her way up the ranks at Wal-Mart and the Hannaford supermarket chain -- and even had a stint with technology firm Teradyne -- when a former manager suggested she explore a position with the New Hampshire Food Bank.

Since then, under Melanie’s direction, the Food Bank collected some 5.8 million pounds of food in 2009, more than doubling the amount since 2003.

While music is still a big part of her life, it’s those who benefit from her insight and innovation who sing praises.

Leslie Sturgeon, Women Inspiring Women

When most of us are asked what we do for fun, we usually reply by talking about a hobby we love or travel or a similar activity. For Leslie Sturgeon, founder of the Lakes Region-based women’s networking group Women Inspiring Women, it’s her work.

“My business is my passion,” says Leslie.

The hundreds of women who attend Women Inspiring Women events can easily attest to that passion. Unlike other networking groups, the vibe is very different. Compassionate without being trite, supportive without being preachy, the group’s tagline is, “Hugs not handshakes.”

Leslie advises others not to be knocked down from “dream stealers” but to be uplifted by those around you – and most of all by yourself.

I met Leslie for the first time last spring as I took part in our Lakes Region Business Roundtable, and again at a Women Inspiring Women event several months later. She was just one of those people which whom I immediately “clicked.” Since then she has become a friend, mentor, confidant, and a deeply needed shoulder to cry on at times.

And don’t let the all the pink in her photo fool you – the pink theme in Women Inspiring Women doesn’t stand for “princess,” it stands for “power.”

Deb Titus, Dale Carnegie-New Hampshire

As managing director for Dale Carnegie-New Hampshire, Deb Titus teaches clients far more than how to win friends and influence people. She teaches them to reach down deep, grab that little buried ball of confidence and hit it for a home run as if your life depended on it.

That’s because so much of our professional and personal lives depends on believing in yourself, says Deb. “If people see something in you, don’t nay-say it,” she says. “In fact, go ask people what they see in you.”

People would probably say they see a very competent and goal-driven woman in Deb – and they’d be right – but even she had to make difficult choices between family and career that so many women also face.

Fortunately for so many New Hampshire businesspeople and companies she has found a way to balance being a wife of 25 years and a mother of two children -- now grown -- and run her own business. And she still finds time to nurture her passions for music, horses and supporting young people, especially young women.

Deb advises young professionals to “be bold” – words she lives by every day.

I also count Deb as one of my friends. I will never forget the LinkedIn recommendation she wrote me over the summer, when in a moment of feeling utterly incompetent and worthless, I asked for some support. It still brings me to tears.

Deb is also a jazz vocalist, for those of you who don’t know. I dabble a little bit in the singing department myself, maybe a little “Embraceable You” duet someday?

Kathryn Underwood, Ledyard National Bank

After Kathryn Underwood graduated from college, she was offered her choice of two full-time positions at the bank at which she was applying for a job – a teller or a secretary. She was told those were the only jobs available for women. That was not an answer Kathryn was willing to take.

She found a job at Key Bank in Maine and eventually became president, helping it to grow to $2.5 billion – that’s with a “B” – in assets. Now at the helm of Ledyard National Bank in Hanover for the past five years, Kathryn has continued to shatter glass ceilings. She currently sits on the board of the New Hampshire Bankers Association and has earned her certified financial planner designation to further assist clients.

Perhaps her greatest achievement to date is becoming a board member of the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston. THE Fed! It’s not every day you get to meet someone who helps to control fiscal policy for the nation.

Of course, she would probably say her finest accomplishments are her children and her 30-year marriage, not to mention the balancing act she does to keep it all in perspective.