First Woman President (at UC)

Recalling a recent presentation she made, Nancy Zimpher, University of Cincinnati president, says the student shadowing her for the day asked her an unexpected question. (See my interview with Zimpher, "Striving to Improve Children's Lives," here.)

“They introduced me as the first woman president of the university,” Zimpher says. “And he said, ‘Don’t you get tired of that?’ The question stopped me dead in my tracks because nobody had ever asked me that question. And I ended up saying, ‘When it doesn’t need to be said any more, it won’t be. But we’re not there yet.’ ”

An active participant in the Pulse study ("A Study on the Status of Women and Girls in Greater Cincinnati"), Zimpher co-chaired the steering committee and says Pulse was essential research that continues to have an impact on the region. It’s information that she uses regularly. (See "The Pulse Is Just the Start," issue of Aug. 9, 2006.)

“I do use the Pulse data a lot,” she says. “I fall back on that a lot and say, ‘We have got a lot of work to do.’ ”

As one of the highest profile corporate executives in Greater Cincinnati, Zimpher is one of the few people in the good-old-boy-network who wears a skirt. She doesn’t believe that has been a disadvantage.

“I spent a lot of time leading women’s initiatives … so I have to say being a woman makes a difference,” Zimpher says. “That’s a point we’re trying to make. What I think it does in a community that is still led in large part by men is that the minority view — and women are in the minority still in the c-suite and they are in universities — gives you a peculiar, uncanny kind of access to the agenda.

“Being on the side of the smaller constituency, people have to listen to you, they have to pay attention. So you take advantage of that where you can. I’ve never felt that I was an underdog because of that or I was disadvantaged. On the contrary, I actually think it helps you draw attention to the issues you’re trying to bring forward. Over time we’ll get over this.”

— Margo Pierce