Thank you so much for asking me to be here this afternoon! And thank you, too, for this very wonderful honor. I'm not sure I fall into the category of "genius", but its nice that you think I do... and it's a pleasure to be with you! Mostly I'm happy to be here because this is a woman's college, this is Women's History Month, and women's issues are my passion.

President (Pat) McGuire has asked me to share some of the lessons I have learned in my 18 years as a business owner and entrepreneur. I think she noticed all my lines and wrinkles and suspected there is a story behind each one! And indeed there is!

In all honesty, a few of these wrinkles come from having two daughters - even though they are the center of my world and the joy of my life. I am convinced that they are as self-confident and successful as they are because, like the students here, they were exposed to single sex education and, therefore encouraged in ways I was not. For so many of us here, were aren't just supportive of each other. We are also supportive of each other's daughters.

Women of our generation were the first to have many educational opportunities. In my own family I was the first woman to attend college and the first woman to attend graduate school. Opportunities we had - what we lacked was self-confidence and encouragement.

Since today's theme is genius - I'll describe what I thought that meant when I was a junior in high school. Joe Lloyd got a perfect score on his SATs as a junior. He was President of the National Honor Society, President of our class and my friend. By anyone's definition - Joe was a genius.

We took a creative writing class together. Joe would laugh that it took him about 45 minutes to compose his creative writing essays. And, because he was a genius, he always received an "A". I, on the other hand, outlined my thoughts, labored over content, context and structure - this took me many, many hours. I always received a "B+".

Totally frustrated, I went to Joe one day with a scheme - actually a social experiment. I asked him if we could each write our next assignment but trade papers. In other words, I would sign my name to his paper. Quite predictably, I thought, Joe got an "A" with my paper! To make a long story short, we shared what we had done with the English teacher in a way that didn't embarrass him but helped him see my work in a different light. I proudly ended the year with an "A" in creative writing.

For me, that was a defining moment. And from that moment on, I tried not to let others define who I was or what I was capable of.
So I applaud the work of Trinity - because while society has come a long way in the way it looks at ambitious women, it still has a long way to go.

The real test for women of my generation was learning to navigate in a culture that considered ambitious, well-educated women of achievement as rebellious or abrasive, an anomaly or just plain unfeminine. The key in the early years was to find ways to gain self-confidence in an environment that subtly or not so subtly chipped away at it.

By 1980, I had done everything that was expected me. I had taught school for three years, married well, had two perfect children. The landscape changed dramatically the next year - as a result of a very difficult divorce. When it was over, I was without money, credit cards, a job, any hope or dreams. And had only myself to rely on.

Luckily I started back in the workforce working for a truly wonderful organization and for a truly brilliant man. In my years at KPMG, I learned so many things.

I learned the importance of having mentors. I learned about working for a quality firm and how that added to my personal credibility. I learned about networking (at the Board of Trade) - the value of "who you know" and how that enhances the value of "what you know".

Since 1985, I have been an entrepreneur. It was then that I learned - the less you know about an opportunity, the more attractive it appears. Knowing nothing about construction, with a partner who knew nothing about construction, we started the 1st woman owned commercial general contracting firm in the Washington area. Since 1989 I've owned Rand Construction by myself.

The most important thing I've learned as an entrepreneur is that everyone makes mistakes. I used to beat myself up so much every time I made a mistake. Then I learned that success depends on how you recover from those mistakes. Success depends on how well you learn your lessons.

As a business owner, I've certainly learned that time waits for no man (or woman). Small problems have to be dealt with immediately, before they become BIG concerns.

Every morning I decide the thing I have to do that day that I will like the least. I've made a pact with myself to do the thing I least want to do every day by 10:00 a.m. It's very liberating.

I've also learned that authority isn't granted. It's assumed. More important than knowing your trade is knowing that you have moral authority. That means working harder than everyone else….taking the high road….doing the kindest thing…. and being straight up, and down with people who work for you about their careers, their skills, and, their futures.

And finally, I've learned that your word has to be worth everything. As I look around the room, I see so many business leaders who understand this above all else. So many people here today are leaders in their organizations and in the community because their word is their bond.

So, in a society that is still somewhat uncertain about ambitious women - what gives me hope?

An article in Time Magazine several years ago gave me hope. The article discussed the "E.Q. Factor." The premise is this: Emotions, not IQ, may be the true measure of human intelligence. The article suggested, " If there is a cornerstone to emotional intelligence on which most other emotional skills depend, it is a sense of self-awareness, of being smart about what we feel." Women in my opinion have a great advantage in this regard and as a result, it makes us superb managers and even better leaders.

We listen better. Employees feel freer to tell us more. We are more collaborative - which, I believe, is the management style of the future. In business, command and control is out … … collaboration is in.

The successful women I know, know the following: success can not be achieved single-handedly. Each of us has had mentors, friends, and lucky breaks. Each of us has stumbled, fallen or failed.

Maybe it's my age catching up with me, or maybe it's a result of my recent bout with breast cancer, but I try to treasure the things that are really important. And a sense of achievement IS important because it adds to self- esteem. But so is being a good spouse, a loving mother, a kind friend, and a contributing member of the community. I try to teach my daughters that through life's ups and downs, they must always be proud of who they are, and of what they believe in. I counsel them to do something with their lives that they love. To set their standards high, to make their goals worthwhile. To never say never and to never give up.

Hopefully, because of the pioneers of my generation, the next generation of young women will see life's opportunities as endless. Hopefully, "their" genius will shine through early in their careers and often thereafter.

There are many geniuses in this room. Thank you again for including me as one of them.