Above photo: Allyson Watson (center), dean of USF St. Petersburg’s College of Education, was a part of the “Empowering Women at Work” panel, where she talked about the importance of mentoring young women. Courtesy of Shannon Kalahar
By Anna Bryson
The difference between men and women’s psychological attitudes can affect their roles in the workplace, according to the panel “Empowering Women at Work,” held in Lynn Pippenger Hall at USF St. Petersburg March 29.
The panel of five industry experts explored the ways these differences can affect salary, promotion and job satisfaction.
The moderator was Karen Dee, the co-founder and managing partner of Accendo Leadership Advisory Group, LLC — a leadership development company that specializes in executive coaching, roundtables for high-potential women and minorities and public speaking.
The panel discussed ways to empower women in the workplace and did not discuss or acknowledge discrimination against women, but instead discussed women’s psychological attitudes that might play a role in their workplace experience.
After answering questions from the moderator, the panelists fielded questions from the packed auditorium, which consisted of both male and female USF St. Petersburg students and members of the community.
Allyson Watson, dean of USF St. Petersburg’s College of Education, reiterated the importance of mentoring young women and the difference that it can make in a young woman’s life.
Rachel Carpenter, the co-founder and CEO of Intrinio, a financial data marketplace, discussed what it’s like to be an entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry. She said that while being a woman can make investors take her less seriously, it is also an opportunity to stand out.
Carpenter mentors young women through PACE Center for Girls, a nonprofit organization that educates at-risk teenage girls. She believes that in a girl’s most formative years, it is important for her to have a role model and mentor that she can relate to.
She emphasized the importance of being aggressive and confident in the workplace as a woman, because as panelist Peter Jones, the president of Franklin Templeton Distributors suggested, women’s lack of aggression can be their downfall.
