Acknowledgments

It takes a village to raise a child and it took a village to produce this book. This book would not have been possible without the constant support and encouragement from my friend and the UC Marketing Department Head, Dr. Karen Machleit. Together with Dr. Marianne Lewis, Dean of the UC Lindner College of Business, these two women supported, promoted, and protected the Women in Sales course. Thank you both for believing in my crazy idea and for supporting me all along the way. This book couldn’t have been written without the course and the course would not be in the curriculum without the two of you. Thank you.

I am in deep gratitude to my friend and colleague Dr. Donna Chrobot-Mason who graciously hired me, a marketing professor by trade, to lead the women’s initiatives in the Warren Bennis Leadership Institute. Thanks to Donna’s support, this book was moved from a dream to a work priority for the Institute. Donna made sure other obligations didn’t deter me from writing and for that I am grateful.

My students were essential in helping me test ideas, activities, and concepts as I experimented with the course material and learned what worked and what else was needed. It is impossible to name the hundreds of students—women and men–who enrolled in the course and experimented with me to develop the content. There are, however, several students who need to be named.

Hannah Markel, a former Women in Sales student, was instrumental in prodding me to start putting the fifteen-week-for-credit-course into a book and workshop format. Her passion for the project never wavered and her guidance and encouragement gave me the determination to continually move forward. Korina Wray and Katie Ryder (former Women in Sales and graphic design students) provided the creativity and design expertise on the preliminary drafts which formed the foundation for the current conceptualization.

Many thanks to Emily McDonogh, another former Women in Sales student, inspired me to dream about possibilities for women and gave me the courage to keep fighting. While Emily and I didn’t get the Women’s Wing in the new business building that we proposed, together we kept women’s issues in the forefront of the business college and, with the advent of Dean Lewis’s tenure, have made remarkable strides for women.

The quality of this manuscript was greatly enhanced by Elizabeth (Lizzy) Geraghty’s initial edits and graphic design. As my graduate assistant and eventual Women in Sales student, Lizzy assured me that I did have an important message and that it was conveyed in a format and style that would reach college women and beyond. I knew the manuscript was good when Lizzy liked it.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Jessica (Jess) Davis, another former Women in Sales student. While not intimately involved in the manuscript text per say, Jess reminded me of the importance of getting this information in writing and available to a wider audience. Women shouldn’t have to take a 15-week-for-credit-course to learn to get over their fear of failure, practice resilience, and build confidence. The opportunity to learn those skills should be available to every woman and Jess reminded me of that the entire year we worked together. There are literally thousands of other former Women in Sales students who helped shape this book and the material in it who cannot be named. But know that you all contributed to its content and its success.

This book would not have been possible without the help from everyone at the University of Cincinnati Press. I am indebted to Elizabeth (Liz) Scarpelli for her constant encouragement, belief in the subject matter, and confidence in my writing ability. Liz, your editorial expertise and publishing knowledge made this a smooth and enjoyable process. Many thanks to Nick Thompson for his careful eye and gentle edits. I could not have managed the electronic version without the help and expertise of Mark Minelli. And a special note of thanks to Pamela Wissman whose imagination and gift for visuals made my words come alive. It was truly a joy to work with all of you.

Finally, I cannot thank my family–Greg Sojka, Laura Wilson, Ann Sojka, and Joan Gwizdak—enough for their support and encouragement of this project. To my husband Greg, who saw far more potential in me than I saw in myself. When the rest of the world saw a stay-at-home mom, you saw a Ph.D. student and prospective college professor. Thank you for making all this happen. To my precious daughters who taught me so much and who, no surprise, all ended up in predominately male industries. When I watched each of you battle the exact same issues I thought we had won forty years ago, I knew I had to enter the women’s rights arena again. I’m so proud of each of you for standing your ground and not giving up. Together we are building a strong foundation for the next generation. Best family ever.

Thank you all.