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| Lisa Haile |
Athena, a technology and life sciences trade group for women, is working against some tough statistics.
Just 4 percent of board members at local biotech and technology public companies are women, according to an Athena study. Nationwide, that number is 11 percent, according to Catalyst, a national nonprofit organization that does research on women in the workplace.
As Athena nears 20 years in existence in San Diego, the group has moved from a networking outlet to one focused on equipping women with the skills they need to climb a corporate ladder often shaped around schmoozing at golf outings, post-work cocktails and power lunches.
Based at the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego, the 500-member nonprofit, which was scheduled to hold its annual awards luncheon April 20, has stepped up its educational forums in recent years and has launched On Board, an initiative that encourages women to serve on company boards.
Workshops
The campaign offers workshops about how to market oneself and how to become “board-ready,” including learning about legal obligations of being a board member.
Women and men build business relationships differently, said Jeanine Jacobson, a former hospital executive who is executive director at Athena. She said these workshops help women find ways to navigate and excel in a male-dominated business world.
“We don’t ask,” Jacobson said. “We never say we would like to sit on a company board. We work hard, and think that people should notice and know what we’re about.”
She said women tend to work with people who have demonstrated a quality work ethic, while men are more willing to work with people based on recommendation or association with other people or organizations.
Jacobson said not having a large number of women in the decision-making roles makes it more difficult for women to get promoted and reach those positions.
To change that, the On Board series, overseen by Karin Eastham, chief operating officer of the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, has invited men and women who serve on local boards to Athena panel discussions.
“In the life sciences, I’ve found a great opening — a welcoming atmosphere,” Eastham said. “I’ve found it to be that once you break into the boardroom, and you can demonstrate some training and responsibility, other doors are opened to you.”
Eastham isn’t the only woman in life sciences who isn’t afraid to ask.
