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As part of NJBIZ’s latest virtual discussion, women executives at New Jersey-based companies spoke about their experiences establishing themselves in the business world, as well as offered advice to the next generation entering the workplace.

Moderated by NJBIZ Editor Jeff Kanige, the March 26 panel featured:

• Courtney Mulligan, vice president of marketing at Russo Development, a Carlstadt-based real estate developer
• Jennifer D’Angelo, senior vice president & general manager, Healthcare Division, New Jersey Innovation Institute, a New Jersey Institute of Technology Corporation;
• Laurie Smith, partner, Tax, at Wiss & Co. LLP, a Florham Park-headquartered accounting firm

During the hour-and-a-half roundtable discussion, panelists addressed the value of mentoring and networking, why policies supporting work-life balance and diversity, equity & inclusion are necessary, and how to increase female visibility in the workplace.

A more detailed recap will appear in the April 1 issue of NJBIZ.

The next gen

When it comes to younger professionals, panelists stressed the importance of mentoring and networking – particularly in fields that they may not have initially considered.

D’Angelo said, “I work in a very male-dominated industry as a chief information officer in health care, so it definitely does have some challenges there that I’ve been able to overcome, but I’ve had some really great female women and leadership roles and mentors throughout my journey. So, I think educating and working with young women and kind of opening their eyes to, ‘Yes, you can insert yourself into any of these industries’ … is a good start to start that process.”

Mulligan said, “I’ve really made it my mission to get involved with different groups that inspire women, like the ULI Women’s Leadership Initiative, which is really important to me because obviously land use and all of those things are really a field that women weren’t as familiar with years and years ago. So, I get to really be inspired by amazing women who run construction sites, who run remediation efforts for major brownfields and so many cool things that they’re so inspiring … And, I try to surround myself with smart, like-minded, passionate women.”

“Since I’ve been in the workforce, I’ve been really fortunate to have a lot of strong women role models,” said Mulligan, who went on to say she’s seeing more and more women in the construction, planning and development industries.

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Smith agreed, saying it’s important to “identify people that you can relate to.”

“Whether that’s people you’re working with that are maybe fellow moms or caring for an older parent or going through personal struggles — it’s trying to find those women and listen to their story and learn from them. So, I always surround myself with people I can learn from and grow with, and I try to just be a sponge. I’m trying to constantly just learn and say, ‘How’d you do that? How’d you pivot that?’ Or, if I’m in a client situation, it’s really difficult and I’m working with somebody above me that handled it well, I am like, ‘How’d you do that?’… I really then try to take that and use that with the women that I mentor, both work and in my personal life.

“And I try to be as open and vulnerable as possible throughout the struggles,” Smith said. “I always say if someone tells me, ‘Oh, you make it look so easy,’ that’s an insult to me because although I appreciate that, I think it’s important to really highlight the difficulties. I think if we don’t share some of the struggles personal or we’re not being as true to ourselves and can help others as much.”

Offering support

Panelists also spoke about the need for females to support each other in the workplace throughout all stages of their careers.

D’Angelo said, “Even at my age, I don’t have this role mastered and I’m learning something new every day. I have other women that still continue to support me and we support each other. We have a great group of folks that we continue to collaborate with because every day is a learning opportunity.”

Sometimes a decision may result in entering a space “that may not feel as comfortable,” which makes support essential in “getting past that hurdle, onto the next endeavor and onto the next step of your career path,” she said. “And continuing to help build you, build your character and moving along on your journey.”

Mulligan said, “I think sometimes in the competitive business place, there can be moments where women are up against each other for different things, whether it’s a position or a project or whatever it is. But I think that women really need to support other women.”

D’Angelo agreed.

“Women supporting other women is how we all collectively get better at what we do, become more confident and we learn from one another,” she said. “More women in the workplace need to collaborate, work together to build each other up, not build barriers, roadblocks, and tear people down. And that’s just not women to women, that’s just generally in the workplace. We just need to be building up our teammates and having that positive attitude … That team build up is really, really important.”

Women supporting other women is how we all collectively get better at what we do, become more confident and we learn from one another.
– Jennifer D’Angelo, New Jersey Innovation Institute

Smith said, “Whether it is your peers or other people above you or below you, they oftentimes will have something that you can learn from them in one way or another. So even though at some point it might feel like a competition or if you are both up for an award or position, there’s no harm in trying to learn something from that other person.”

An early start

When it comes to preparing women to succeed in business, panelists believe connecting with girls at the elementary, middle and high school levels is critical.

While parents and school districts play an important role in helping shape interest in science, technology, engineering and math, they think the business community can help, too, when it comes to STEM-related areas.

Smith recalled an Accounting 101 class she took in high school that was taught by a woman who had a long career in accounting and then became an educator.

“Coming in with a business background she just had an edge to herself, and it sparked something in me, and I credit finding this field and this passion to her because she just found individuals within our class that really took a liking to accounting or just seemed to really like the business world. And she really brought us along. She would stay after class with us, tell us stories and brought us on field trips to the Nasdaq. She just really went above and beyond,” Smith said.

Mulligan said, “At the end of the day, showing a company that’s willing to embrace the talents of women and all of the genders … is a very positive reflection for the future.”

For instance, Russo Development is sponsoring the Urban Land Institute Northern New Jersey’s UrbanPlan program at East Brunswick High School, which offers students hands-on, simulated real estate planning experience, according to Mulligan.

Meanwhile, members of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants present at high schools across the state to discuss the accounting profession with teens, according to Smith.

D’Angelo said, “At the Innovation Institute and also at NJIT, we have a great leadership team and a lot of strong women that are part of that leadership team. We give back by having interactions with students and women in STEM … and we really try to help students figure out what is their career path.”

In some cases, students may think they want to pursue one particular industry, but have their eyes opened to another area entirely, D’Angelo said.

Balancing act

When it comes to empowering women to succeed, company leaders must look at policies and treatment of employees, panelists believe.

Smith said, “I absolutely think it starts at the top. I think that message has to come from the top leadership in any business or firm or organization because it’s one thing to say that you value each individual and what they contribute, but if your actions don’t align with those words, employees from the very entry level will feel that disconnect.”

Empowering Women

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“An example would be saying, ‘Yeah, we think it’s really important for you as a young accountant to go out and network,’ but then on the back end wondering maybe why you don’t have enough hours or didn’t get something to the finish line on time or some kind of disconnect there,” she said. “So, I think that message has to come from the top in terms of what they are looking for, what they say they believe in and making sure that the company’s policies allow that.”

D’Angelo noted the growing emphasis on work-life balance.

“Certainly post pandemic, there’s a different level of expectation from an employee and an employer of how they juggle that personal life balance, whether it’s caring for their children, caring for elderly, or just caring for their lives,” she said.

NJII “has done a tremendous job to meet everyone where they are in their personal lives and to set them up for success in their professional careers and … investing a lot of their time in looking at policies that are flexible and accommodating,” she added.

Mulligan praised her company – particularly CEO Ed Russo – for creating a supportive environment and driving home the message that family and health come first.

“If I had to take a kid to the doctor at 3 p.m. and miss a call or whatever it is, I know that I have a team behind me that can step up and I can follow up with an email,” she said.

Smith thinks giving employees the ability to truly balance work and home is a huge way to open traditionally male-dominated fields up to women and younger generations.

“Then all of a sudden it becomes a possibility and a reality that, ‘Okay, I can have a family and still work here’ or ‘I can care for an elderly parent that’s important to me and still move up here,’” she said. “I became partner at Wiss just about a year ago. I had just gotten back from maternity leave and I had a five, almost six month old, and our COO, who is a mom, came up to me and she was like, ‘I know how hard it is … the first two years are crazy, but just work with us. We’ll work with you, and this is where we see you and we value you so much.’

“And that meant all the difference to me,” Smith said. “It just goes back to being seen, being heard and having women in those positions that can help you because it’s hard to hear that message sometimes if it’s somebody that hasn’t been through it … I really make sure I try to bring that down then to my team.”

DEI

Panelists also said they believe it’s necessary for companies to continue focusing initiatives related to diversity, equity & inclusion.

While DEI has encountered criticism, D’Angelo said that makes it all the more critical to educate “to make sure those you that are supporting it, know what they’re supporting, how to properly support it and how to move that forward.”

She also said similar to other programs with a big launch there are tweaks that must be made along the way to incorporate lessons learned and areas to highlight.

Smith said, “I also think it’s important to provide a safe place for employees or team members to ask those questions. I think sometimes maybe that’s some of the backlash with DEI is people may be afraid to say certain things or ask certain questions … it’s really about education.”