Elizabeth Kabalka has four men in her life – a husband and three young sons – but her business is all about women as the new managing director of the Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute.
“It’s a positive way I can make change for women,” she said. “We’ve come a long way, but we have a long way to go.”
Kabalka said she appreciates the roles women must juggle when trying to raise a family and simultaneously trying to climb the corporate ladder. There’s still a glass ceiling women must break, but “we’ve cut some holes in it,” she said.
“Women comprise 50 percent of the work force now, but there are only 15 women leading Fortune 500 companies, and only 15 percent of the female work force is on corporate boards. And if you look at women of color, it gets really bad. I’m not saying we haven’t made it to the top, but we’re nowhere close to being a representative sample of the work force.”
Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute began 12 years ago and is now the only such nonprofit organization in the country dedicated to improving the lives of women in the work force, Kabalka said. The organization has 200 members, mostly women in the work force, and is privately funded. Programs offered include work-skill training as well as networking opportunities.
“The training we provide is not basic training,” Kabalka said. “We have an amazing cadre of volunteers whose desire it is to help other women.”
About herName: Elizabeth Kabalka.Age: 42.Family: Husband, Stephen, and sons Kieran, 12, Declan, 8, and Rowan, 4.Education: Bachelor of Arts in English literature (Georgia State University), Master of Science in social work (UT-Knoxville).Hobbies: Cooking, and I’m an avid reader. I also like to work in my yard.Hometown: Stone Mountain, Ga.Volunteers for: Cub scouts, Little League soccer, Thrasher Elementary, St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church.Last book read: I read several at once but just finished “A Short History of Nearly Everything” by Bill Bryson.Past employment: AmeriPumps marketing coordinator (Chattanooga); Good Neighbors acting director (Maryville, Tenn.); Helen Ross McNabb Center business development coordinator (Knoxville).
Q: Why is an organization such as Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute needed?
A: There are problems in the workplace for women. Women get conflicting messages. Act aggressive, and [we’re] considered angry. … Talk too much, we’re considered too chatty. It’s a balancing act. CWLI is able to give women a chance to connect with women in exchange for tips and ideas.
Q: Are women still paid less than men?
A: Yes and no. Women under 30 who are single, childless and live in an urban area where salaries are rocking may actually earn more than men. But women over 30 with children, the reverse is true. In 2009 in Tennessee, we earned 78.9 percent of what a man earns.
Q: How far have women come in the past decade since the institute started?
A: I think we’ve made some amazing strides in pay stats for women in the United States. But I’m too new in this job to have my finger on the pulse to see how that plays in Chattanooga. That’s one of my goals. But the pace of change has been slow. We’ll have to tease out how this will change. Culturally, we accept women in key roles in business; but in actuality, how are we going to tie women to the bottom financial line? That will be the key.
Q: What are some of the institute’s success stories?
A: CWLI is a young organization and an informal one. In talking to women who have been with CWLI for a long time, I’ve heard about women who have gotten jobs by being introduced to other women in the organization or been promoted and recognized for the leadership.
Q: What other goals do you have for the institute?
A: Long term … I’d like for CWLI to become a resource for business in Chattanooga and educate business leaders why it’s important to have women in leadership positions and assist them when looking for a pool of women when positions become available.
There’s a hunger out there for this sort of organization, so maybe other such organizations will open in other cities.
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6285.