Women’s History Month: An Opportunity to Celebrate Glick’s Many Female Leaders
By Stacey Sunderman, Chief Financial and Operating Officer
Every March during Women’s History Month, we honor the contributions and impact women have had on American history, culture and society. At Glick, we celebrate the many ways our female team members have made impactful contributions – to our company, in our residents’ lives and throughout the communities we serve – making Glick the great company it is today.
As a company, built in part on female leadership and empowerment, I’m very proud of and am excited to celebrate Glick’s many female leaders this month. At Glick:
- More than 50% of our home office leadership team members are women,
- More than 70% of our regional team leaders are women, and
- More than 90% of our onsite property leadership are women.
In celebration of Glick’s commitment to empowering current and future female leaders, I want to shine the spotlight on three of our outstanding and long-serving regional property managers. These women have made enormous positive contributions to Glick with their leadership, attitude and focus on optimal service.
Read on to learn more about these outstanding female team members and their commitment to excellence. Thank you for all you do to make Glick great!
Nicole Heim, Regional Property Manager
- How long have you worked at Glick and what is your favorite part of working here?
I began working for Glick in 1999 and left in 2004 to stay at home with my children. I returned to the workforce in 2009, choosing Glick as my workplace to call home.
My favorite part of working here is the relationships I’ve built with my team members and colleagues across the company. I enjoy helping others grow and seeing them succeed in their professional and life journey.
- How do you think Glick empowers women to succeed in the workplace?
The Glick Company makes an effort to support their employees in their growth journeys, listening to us and giving us the tools to improve ourselves. It is a company very much focused on people. They’ve helped me grow in my career, allowing me to make decisions and trusting in me to do what’s right for the company, the teams, the properties, and the residents.
- Do you have any stories of women who have mentored you or that you are currently mentoring at Glick?
For the first five years at Glick, I learned so much from Linda Orange. She was such a great mentor who taught me all about Glick’s mission and vision and how to perform my job duties the right way, for my position at that time.
Kara Miller, Regional Property Manager
- How long have you worked at Glick and what is your favorite part of working here?
As of this August, I’ll have been part of the Glick family for a combined 26 years. For the past two decades, I've served as a Regional Property Manager, preceded by six years in the role of Glick Property Manager. My favorite part of working at Glick is the people I work with daily; we have so many great people at Glick.
- How do you think Glick empowers women to succeed in the workplace?
Glick ensures equitable access for women to job opportunities, promotions, and leadership roles, while also providing scheduling flexibility to support work-life balance. Glick also offers training and development opportunities to help women enhance their skills, confidence, and leadership abilities.
- Do you have any stories of women who have mentored you or that you are currently mentoring at Glick?
Throughout my career as a Regional Property Manager, I've been fortunate to have had multiple mentors. One of the earliest influencers was Cindy Bane, a former Regional Property Manager at Glick. Cindy took me under her wing when I began, providing invaluable guidance and support as I acclimated to my new role. She consistently offered words of encouragement and wise counsel as I faced the challenges of my position. Through her leadership and mentorship, Cindy instilled in me the confidence to make informed decisions and numerous other qualities of effective leadership.
Kris Rank, Regional Property Manager
- How long have you worked at Glick, and what is your favorite part of working here?
I started in May 2015 – almost 9 years with Glick!
- How do you think Glick empowers women to succeed in the workplace?
Glick provides a platform for everyone to voice their opinions freely without worrying about repercussions in the workplace – providing a safe environment to ask questions, voice alternative solutions and concerns when they arise, which is awesome to have within the workplace. Glick is great at promoting within the company. It’s nice to see a company acknowledge bench strength within their organization and tap into that wealth of knowledge to fill open positions at all levels.
- Do you have any stories of women who have mentored you or that you are currently mentoring at Glick?
As RPM, my job is to mentor all my employees so they can successfully reach the next level. This is one of many things I love about my job. Since this is Women’s History Month, I need to give a shout-out to my mother. My mother has been my role model now and forever.
Back in the early 70’s, the ERA movement started when I was in my early teens. My mom was a typical housewife raising eight kids in a very close-knit rural farm community, where most believed her place was in the kitchen. When this movement started, my mom jumped on the bandwagon and changed her life and the lives of many women due to her involvement. She lobbied and worked with Congress and senators to shape laws and change amendments. She met with President Nixon, Carter and she loved President Ford. She would arrange meetings with them on the campaign trail with a group of other women. When I was in my teens, and all this was going on, I didn’t have any clue what she was up to. Later in life, I realized what she accomplished for all women against a lot of opposition.
I had another great mentor in Karen Kiefer when I returned to Glick. She taught me to look at the bigger picture, challenged me to perform at top levels and coached me to grow and develop into the role I serve for our company today.