Great women often have great passion for the things they do. This holds true for the four University of Idaho employees among the Idaho Business Review”s Top 50 Women of the Year for 2016.
The IBR Top 50 Women of the Year list, which is selected mostly by past nominees, acknowledges the often under-recognized women who have made positive contributions to their communities.
“I think we need more women leaders in Idaho, and it”s wonderful this organization is recognizing them,” said Barbara Lock, director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic and one of the women nominated for the award.
SeAnne Safaii, associate professor in Foods and Nutrition, was also nominated for the award. Throughout her life, she has held several TA leadership roles in state-wide organizations, including Idaho Dietetics and the UI faculty senate.
Safaii said the award is significant not just to the women nominated, but also to UI.
“It”s nice to see women leaders coming out of the University of Idaho, Safaii said. “It”s wonderful for students to see that their university has leaders.”
The recognition of UI faculty spurs excitement from students to come study under someone acknowledged on a statewide level.
Terri Muse is the assistant dean for external relations at the UI College of Law in Boise, and was one of the women nominated.
She said she enjoys her work with the College of Law and external relations, but her favorite part of the job is her connection with law school alumni.
“This award is unique because it recognizes women in all sorts of business areas,” Muse said. “It doesn”t just recognize doctors and lawyers, but also nonprofits, and truly acknowledges a cross section of women in Idaho.”
Lock, who also works in the legal field, was also nominated for the award. Lock has made a significant difference in the lives of others as the director of the Low Income Tax Payer Clinic, where she helps low-income taxpayers settle their debts with the IRS. Though her work is vast, Lock said she was surprised when her students nominated her for the award.
“I didn”t realize what it meant to the students,” Lock said.
In Moscow, Corrine Mantle-Bromley is the dean of the UI College of Education. Though she wasn”t always sure she”d end up where she is now, she said she is grateful to be in this position of influence.
She said one of her biggest projects has been the reconstruction of the UI education building. Though the building needed renovations due to asbestos, she said the project kept getting pushed to the side.
“When I got here, it wasn”t on anyone”s radar to do it, so it took lots of work in terms of persuasion, and we”ve been doing lots and lots of fundraising to make sure that it was done well and right,” Mantle-Bromley said.
Mantle-Bromley said though women are not unnoticed in leadership, they are under-noticed, and said fewer women are involved in self-promotion.
“I don”t mean that all men (self-promote), but from a very early age they are involved in it,” Mantle-Bromley said. “I think more women are involved now in competitive kind of issues than they were in any time before.”
Mantle-Bromley said UI creates many opportunities for women to be great leaders.
Still, Mantle-Bromley said the work for women in positions of power is just beginning.
“I think that partly it”s recognition on the business community”s part that women are doing great things for the state, and that”s a really nice thing,” Mantle-Bromley said.
Carly Scott can be reached at [email protected]
Susan Welsh
Great article. On point and very informative.