Leading Ladies: Area women are blazing trails

She didn’t count on the initial reception: anonymous hate mail chastising her for trying to take food off the tables of other hard-working dentists, and the cold shoulder from patients who didn’t think a woman could successfully be a dentist.

“There were people who thought I wasn’t strong enough to pull a tooth,” she said.

Times have changed.

Barnett, a 20-year veteran of the Springfield dental business, is president of the Springfield Dental Society and a respected member of the community.

She’s one of several women blazing trails for females in their respective industries.

Bank on it

Ann Marie Baker has been an employee of UMB Bank for the last 23 years. She knew she wanted to be a banker since college, she said, because of her love of numbers. The industry, she said, has changed significantly since she started, including an increased emphasis on personal relationships and the newest technology.

The changes have also affected women in finance.

“Although there have traditionally been many women in banking, traditionally those women served in junior roles – they often peaked out at the mid-management level,” Baker said. “Now, in the last few years, there have been more and more women reaching senior management levels.”

Baker has reached the highest level. She has been UMB president for the last five years and was the first female bank president in Springfield. But it’s not something you’ll hear her brag about.

“I don’t generally comment on that, because yes, that’s true, but it doesn’t affect how I do my business every day,” she said. “It’s about the person and the character and the ability to make a difference than about the gender, or age, or anything else.”

Building respect

Elise Crain of DeWitt & Associates didn’t start out in the construction field – at least, not directly. She started out as a secretary for what is now Anderson Engineering.

As she puts it, “I wasn’t a very good typist, but they liked having me around, so they found something else that I could do.”

That “something” turned out to be managing construction projects. Crain is now one of the project managers for DeWitt and also has served on the Springfield Planning & Zoning Commission.

She said the respect she received from her co-workers gave her credibility with others, which opened doors early in her career.

“I just looked for new opportunities and looked for somebody who was willing to take somebody who didn’t know a lot and teach them,” Crain said.

The glass ceiling

All three women say they have dealt with opposition from those not used to women in powerful positions. While Barnett’s experience may be extreme, it indicated to her that staying in dentistry for the long haul was essential.

“People thought, ‘Oh, she’s going to have a family and quit. Once she has babies, she’s not going to practice anymore,’” said Barnett, who now practices with her husband in Ozark. “It gave me even more determination – I wanted to prove to these people that I’m serious, I’m good and I can do this.”

Her industry has become more open – Barnett said classes that were about 10 percent female when she was in college are now evenly split. Barnett hired one of those young female dentists – Dr. Tracy Davis – two years ago.

Crain is now one of four female project managers at DeWitt – nearly half of the company’s project management team.

Even now, she said some people still surprise her. Crain recalls a conversation with another woman on a job site as one of Crain’s male co-workers approached. “The woman I was talking to says, ‘I guess he must be the head guy.’ And he pointed to me and said, ‘Nope. She’s the head guy,’” Crain said. “I think there’s really been more discrimination from other women than from men.”

UMB’s Baker said that progress has been made regarding women in business, but there is still room for improvement. “It is amazing to me ... that it’s an anomaly for women to be in positions like this. But it is,” she said.

“I think progress is being made there, but it’s a slow process. Unfortunately, we’re not there yet.”

Words of Wisdom: Woman-to-Woman

Dr. Kelly Barnett, Ann Marie Baker and Elise Crain share advice for women in business.

On responding to opposition or discrimination:

“You really respond with humor, because if you try to establish a confrontation you have a whole different set of circumstances.” —Elise Crain, DeWitt & Associates

“It took some determination and patient education. I think once patients realized that I knew what I was doing … my referrals took off from there. But it was a little bit of a rough go.” —Dr. Kelly Barnett, Barnett Family Dental

On getting started in business:

“Choose a career that you’re passionate about. If you try to do something you don’t enjoy, you’re destined for unhappiness. Beyond that, though, once you’ve chosen a career, it’s important to give it your all.” —Ann Marie Baker, UMB Bank

“My advice would be to pay attention – all day, every day. Look for people who will give you a helping hand.” —Elise Crain

On the future for women in their industries:

“I don’t think people even think about whether you’re male or female anymore. I think eventually there’ll be more female dentists than men.” —Kelly Barnett

“The industry is much more open. There are commercial contractors in Springfield who have women project managers, women in decision-making roles. It’s also happening in design, architecture and with subcontractors. It’s very common now.” —Elise Crain