2010 Automotive News 100 Leading Women

Why did you want to work in the auto industry? I had no intention of working in the auto industry. I taught for a couple of years and coached tennis and expected to get my doctoral degree in psychology. We have a family-owned automotive business started by my grandfather in 1924. I have two older brothers -- one is a guidance counselor and tennis coach, and the other is a cabinet maker in Vermont. My parents didn’t want to push us into it. I got wait-listed on a doctoral program, and my dad said, “You should understand the business; you own a substantial part of it.” I decided to see what the business is about. I expected it to be boring and about numbers, and I was amazed and delighted to find out it was about people. I did not do the doctoral program.