Instead of gender, Mary believes that skill has been the distinguishing factor in the places she has worked. “In my experience, I’ve found that for anyone to be successful in financial services, technical training has to be one of your core skills. I worked hard and passed my CPA exam and graduated from UNI in four years, all of which gave me a solid technical background that has allowed me to play a broad role in financial services.”

Additionally, flexibility and the ability to multitask prove to be more significant than gender, according to Mary. She feels that as you move in and out of various situations, you need to be able adapt--especially in public accounting where one moves from client to client on a frequent basis.

Competency in prioritizing is also vital for business people. Mary believes that most people who become senior leaders within a company have a broad set of responsibilities and deal with a wide scope of things, which makes learning how to prioritize critically important.

For Mary, prioritizing involves having balance between work and family. “I take time for my husband and two children, who have always been part of my work life. I have pictures of them in my office, I talk about them at work, and as the kids were growing up, they would come to the office. I was always very honest about it if I had to leave for a child-related or family issue. This is healthy and sends a good message as a leader in an organization.”

And indeed Mary is a leader. She has shown women can work their way to the top while still achieving balance within their lives. Mary credits others, such as UNI faculty members, for guiding her and giving her the bumpers to be successful. She says, however, that they certainly didn’t hold her hand.

“I really had to work and take charge of my future. They just gave me the ability and tools to do it!”