In Colorado’s nonprofit industry, women have not only broken through the so-called glass ceiling – they’ve ascended to the executive suite.
Women run 10 of the state’s 20 largest foundations as measured by assets.
That’s down one job from 2000. But the influence they wield, and the bankrolls they control, have grown substantially.
Women head the state’s first-, second- and eighth-largest private or community foundations.
By comparison, none of the state’s 20 largest public companies lists a woman as chief executive.
Nationwide, women hold 56 percent of all foundation CEO positions and 75 percent of all program officer positions, according to a report released last week by the Council on Foundations.
The Denver Post recently spoke with three of Colorado’s most influential foundation leaders, Linda Childears of the Daniels Fund, Sheila Bugdanowitz of Rose Community Foundation and Anne Warhover of the HealthOne Alliance. They control a combined $2.1 billion in assets, and their foundations doled out $50.6 million to nonprofits in 2005.
Each offered insight into the apparent gender gap between the for-profit and nonprofit worlds, keys to their career success and thoughts on what keeps them up at night.
Q: Women head 10 of the state’s largest 20 foundations but none of Colorado’s 20 largest public companies. Why?
Bugdanowitz: I had never seen those numbers, so I would say wow. I wish I had a good answer.
I came from the business sector, and I couldn’t do this job without that experience. I think that some of the skills required to lead foundations are also required to lead businesses. But in the foundation world, there needs to be a willingness to partner. If you are going to have a big impact, you have to develop partnerships. You need a sensitivity to that, and I think women really understand that. The one big difference I see is the sense of time. Foundations look at the long term; businesses need to make decisions in the moment. That drives a big difference in the cultures. When I interviewed for this job, the trustees were gender blind. I don’t know, maybe foundations are more enlightened. In Denver, more and more women are heading foundations. The growth has just been exponential, so I don’t think there is a glass ceiling for women in Colorado foundations.
Warhover: It’s been a long time since I’ve worked in the private sector. I spent the first 15 years of my career as a banker. But I can’t really tell you why the private sector is missing out on women as leaders. I don’t know if women have chosen not to be leaders in the private sector or if it’s the other way around.
I do know that I’ve deliberately chosen to be a leader in the nonprofit sector. It has a lot to do with the satisfaction I get from my work and from the mission of the foundation. I never experienced a glass ceiling as a banker, but I’m sure some people have. I think in the nonprofit world, you have governance by community boards who are trying to be representative of the community. It would be very interesting to ask the people in the for-profit area why that is.
Childears: I’ve been around a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of change. Women have made a lot of strides in a lot of areas. You see more women in the professions, and you certainly see more owning small businesses. Why aren’t women in the top corporate offices? I think we’ll see that soon. I think women are attracted to the foundation and nonprofit world because this is amazing work. The women and the men I know who work in the nonprofit world go home happy every day. I didn’t always feel that way when I went home from corporate America. It’s a different agenda. But at the same time, business skills are enormously helpful in running a nonprofit.
Q: What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
Warhover: I started out as a clerk in a bank filing checks. I’ve worked my way up for a career that has allowed me to work in the for-profit area, to run a downtown membership organization and now in the health care field running a foundation. It was all about learning a ton along the way. At HealthOne, it has been rewarding to learn the workings of a foundation and to scratch the surface of the issues facing health care. It is such a complex area.
In my personal life, it is definitely being a mom. I can’t think of anything more rewarding.
When I was growing up, I didn’t have a passion. I’ve had a drive to be successful, but I’ve never had the drive to be a musician or a writer or an artist. But with my kids, I experienced that passion.
Bugdanowitz: Here at Rose, I was given the opportunity to take a vision and make it a reality. Our peers recognized us as the outstanding foundation in Colorado in 2005. I’m really proud of that. We are trying to effect serious change. Personally, I think my greatest accomplishment was to raise two wonderful sons who have become productive young men. They are both trained as lawyers. When I look at them, I fill up with pride.
Childears: I have had a really wonderful career. Everything from working at the drugstore in high school to this has been fun. The single greatest accomplishment is the Young Americans Bank. To take that from a piece of paper, a concept, to what it is today has been incredible.
As for my personal life, I was close to both my parents. And people who have been through caring for a senior know how difficult it is. I’ve never raised kids, so I don’t know how that compares. But when I look back at being able to make the end of their lives as palatable as possible, I feel really good about doing it.
Q: What keeps you up at night?
Childears: Not much (laughs). What I think about more than anything is would Bill (Daniels, cable TV pioneer and foundation namesake) be happy with what we are doing? Clearly, his written words have to guide the foundation. Because the foundation will be here, and the people who knew Bill will not. I find myself asking, ‘What would Bill do, how would he handle this?’ Where I challenge myself the most is if we are doing justice to what he left us.
Bugdanowitz: Time is really important in our world. Are we launching a program too early, or are we too late? Do I need to push hard for something or pull back? Is it wise to invest resources now, or do we need to get more partners? But I don’t stay up most nights.
Warhover: People. Are people happy at work? Is the board satisfied? Are people getting along? It always revolves on people. I can deal with issues, but I worry more about people. I take my personal interactions with people seriously. I want everyone to be happy.
Staff writer Will Shanley can be reached at 303-820-1260 or wshanley@denverpost.com
