Did you see me at the hockey game in Denver Tuesday night, Edmonton vs. Colorado? I was the one with a red maple leaf painted on my face, a Canadian flag held high, getting tackled by a group of dedicated Avalanche fans. Perhaps you didn't catch that game and maybe I'm overindulging in my description of the evening, but it certainly was a thrill to be in Denver enjoying our Canadian national past time.
It is my final week, of the three-week International Visitor Leadership Program, as a guest of the U.S. Department of State, with only days remaining in Denver before heading to San Francisco for the final stop. Washington, D.C.; Kansas City, Missouri; Austin, Texas, and now Denver: my experiences in these cities have taught me priceless lessons about Women in Business and the spirit of entrepreneurship. The inspiration I've received to dream big, lead boldly, and speak proudly will certainly affect my personal resolve and future contributions to Prince George and northern B.C.
Denver is known for many things: the mile high city existing 5,280 feet above sea-level, the world-class skiing in the nearby southern Rocky Mountains, and the wild blue mustang sculpture with glowing eyes greeting passengers at the Denver airport. Ironically, none of the things I knew about Denver have made much of an impression on me. Rather, I've spent the past three days here being inspired by women in business and by a civic-minded entrepreneurial city that has written its own story. But March 8, International Women's Day, was a difficult paradox for me.
As guests of honour, our travelling group of six Canadian women attended the Denver World Affairs presentation of The Gender Agenda Gaining Momentum with guest speaker Deedee Corradini, former mayor of Salt Lake City and president of the board of directors of the International Women's Forum. I felt torn and conflicted as Corradini implored women to consider running for elected office. She spoke passionately of the need to increase the number of women in government, in decision-making positions as she was as the first and only female mayor of Salt Lake City. Then, fast forward to later in the day as I watched part of the movie Game Change in my hotel room, documenting the political life of Sarah Palin. While on one hand I believe women should consider politics as a career option, I wonder how attractive a political career is for anyone with a desire to make a difference.
And finally, part of our Denver program was to attend the Women + Film VOICES Film Festival in order to view the movie GIRL RISING, a new feature film about the power of education to change a girl and the world. This movie demonstrates that there is so much work to be done in helping women contribute fully and equally within all parts of life, work and community. These goals are supported by a strong business case too. Various studies, including those by the Reibey Institute, McKinsey & Co., and others, demonstrate a direct, positive relationship between the percentage of women on corporate boards and the company's fiscal performance. Whether women choose to go directly into business or into politics, it is absolutely necessary for men and women alike to work towards achieving gender balance in every arena of life, it just makes sense at every level.
We are certainly making headway in women's corporate and political representation in Prince George. With examples including women holding high ranking positions as mayor, newspaper publisher, minister of justice and attorney general of British Columbia, president and CEO of Northern Health, and CEO of Northern Development Initiatives Trust, as well as hundreds of business owners and managers, Prince George is no garden of shrinking violets. Our future is bright, but brighter still with the contributions and sacrifices of so many strong women.
If you wish to follow my journey more closely as I travel across the U.S., please follow my travel blog by subscribing to the RSS feed off my blog site: http://blog.travelpod.com/members/jbrandlemccall.
Until next week, which will be my final column focusing on my travels to the USA, stay in the black and keep coming back. Jennifer Brandle-McCall is CEO of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce.
