Community

Some of South County’s top female leaders offered some insight into how they have achieved success despite the odds against them, and some advice on how women can continue the struggle toward full equality and acceptance at a “Leadership Professionals Panel” in Morgan Hill Aug. 24.The panel, held at Morgan Hill City Council Chambers, was part of Women’s Week and the celebration of Women’s Equality Day. The panel, and other Women’s Week events, were sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and the City of Morgan Hill.“We’ve got a long ways to go in some ways, but we need to appreciate what we’ve achieved,” said U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, one of five panelists at the Aug. 24 event. Lofgren, of San Jose, is a Democrat who represents California’s 19th Congressional District, which includes Morgan Hill.Lofgren was joined on the panel by Lesley Miles, a local architect and co-owner of Weston Miles Architects; Irene Chavez, Senior Vice President Area Manager for Kaiser Permanente; Kathleen Rose, President of Gavilan College; Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Duong; and Morgan Hill Assistant City Manager for Administrative Services Christina Turner.After each panelist gave a brief introduction about themselves—along with circumstances in their background that hindered or advanced their early and current success—the women answered questions from the audience. About 100 people attended the panel.Some of the women on the panel surmounted difficult conditions in their childhood on their way to success. Duong and her parents, for example, came to the U.S. as refugees in 1975, after the fall of Saigon. She later became the first Vietnamese-American woman appointed to the bench in northern California.Duong is now the Facility Supervising Judge at the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill.Duong noted that the local superior court is progressive in its hiring and leadership practices, as it is an agency where women are well represented. One-third of judges in the county’s superior court are women, and many of the court’s leadership positions are held by women.One of the questions for the panel asked what some of the barriers to women’s success are in society, and how women can overcome those obstacles.Chavez said there are three important barriers that women themselves can challenge. These are the willingness to accept success, willingness to relocate and a fear of failure.“There is no such thing as failure—just a lesson to be learned,” Chavez said.Rose, a migrant to the U.S. who grew up in New York, added that “presence and confidence” are key to women’s success.When the panel was asked if they had anything to say to men to encourage more support for women, Lofgren replied, “One thing I think we can do is raise our sons to be more accepting of women.”Women’s Week in Morgan Hill began Monday, Aug. 21, and culminated with a “When I Grow Up…” mixer on Sunday, Aug. 27 that aimed to encourage young women and girls to embrace leadership. The week centered around Women’s Equality Day on Aug. 26, with each day featuring a different event to recognize and celebrate women in the local community.