SALT LAKE COUNTY
Two principals, a personnel manager and the president of a mortgage company - all black women - explained to a scant University of Utah audience how they've triumphed corporate America's odds and succeeded professionally in Utah.The women spoke Thursday in the last of a series of Black Awareness Month activities. A small group of students and members of the community turned out for the panel discussion in the Olpin Union Theater.
During the one-hour discussion, the women addressed societal deficiencies that fueled their ascent up the ladder as some of the state's most respected leaders. They also discussed fear of tokenism and using their positions to empower others, while sharing strategies for success in a "corporate culture set up for white men."
Laura Popwell, a personnel manager in Bountiful, said that with the exception of the now laborious hunt for beauty products designed for black women, her health and physical needs have been superbly met by Utah's pristine location. She added, however, that her emotional needs are now more important than the physical.
"Socially, it's never been more difficult than in this community," said Popwell, who recently relocated from Nashville. "I now must travel north to Ogden or south to Salt Lake City to nurture my social needs."
She told of a recent lunch outing with colleagues to a 1950s-style restaurant that was less than nostalgic for her. In the '50s, Popwell was relegated to black-owned and operated eateries, sans the poodle skirts, ponytails and shiny, new Chevrolets.
"(The '50s were) a completely different experience for us," she said, recalling the lunch date. "Social bonding comes to a screeching halt."
But the women, who were overwhelmingly positive about their experiences, concentrated mostly on the tenacity and persistence that drove and continues to drive them.
Lois Johnson was a model in perseverance. She told of going from church accountant to licensed realtor to mortgage officer, after meeting her first metro area job interviewer and being led to believe the "position vanished."
Today Johnson owns and presides over her own mortgage company, First Security Mortgage, in South Jordan.
"It's just not common to see a Lois Johnson as me," Johnson deadpanned when telling about her experiences trying to hire mortgage brokers. "I would interview them and they turn around and interview me! Nobody would work for me as an underwriter. I had no choice but to do it myself."
Diane Hesleph, principal of Granite High, said she was disappointed to see so few students in the audience. She added that discussions like these are important in sensitizing everyone to the issues facing African-American women.
"If someone had asked me 10 years ago if I could see myself now, this is not how I would have imagined," Hesleph said. "We evolved into these leadership positions."
Hesleph, one of five female principals in the state, stressed the importance of networking. She said her strength comes from networking with women in similar positions, getting involved in her community and reading daily affirmations.
"See challenges as opportunities for success," she advised.
Johnson backed her up.
"Utah is a land of opportunity. You can gain really good experience and take it back to your hometown and help. Here, there is less competition."