NorthBay biz profiles three Marin businesswomen who are succeeding in atypical leadership roles.
Women who succeed in today’s business world—particularly those who push the boundaries between what has been accepted and what can become the norm—are often categorized by the outdated and unflattering term “Iron Lady.” But more often than not, high-powered North Bay women are sharing their wisdom and encouraging others to follow in their footsteps.
The three Marin-based women profiled in this article are no exception. From ground blazing global business ethics to laser-edge medical science to extraordinary wealth management, these female leaders are finding success in previously untraditional career choices. What’s more, they’re all warm, likeable and more than willing to champion fellow women in the workforce.
Bonnie Nixon-Gardiner, director of environmental sustainability for the global citizenship team, Hewlett Packard
Bonnie Nixon-Gardiner takes the lead on developing Hewlett Packard’s vision for global environmental sustainability. Thus, even her slightest business decisions can affect millions of workers worldwide.
A self-described “true and avid environmentalist,” Nixon-Gardiner has spent half her time over the past decade resolutely uncovering, absorbing and amending critical corporate responsibilities in emerging economies around the globe.
“I’m a pretty comfortable citizen of the world,” she says. Having successfully led the HP global social and environmental responsibility team for the past 10 years, she has a proven track record for tackling complexities—the program includes 600 suppliers and a virtual team of 70 people located in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Europe, India, China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Nixon-Gardiner and her team consistently gain widespread visibility for Hewlett Packard, winning some of the most prestigious ethical sourcing awards in the industry.
Nixon-Gardiner’s unrivaled credentials have led her to her new position as director of environmental sustainability. She’s also HP’s lead on stakeholder relations and innovative global strategic alliances with the World Wildlife Fund. Prior to that, she played a tireless role with Hewlett Packard’s major international competitors and suppliers in the creation of a common Electronic Industry Code of Conduct.
“This is an incredibly exciting time in the world of business,” says Nixon-Gardiner. “With the biggest threat to the globe being an emphasis on consumerism, major companies have awakened to the fact that virtualization and a stand toward environmentally sustainable social responsibility can actually be better for business.”
Nixon-Gardiner is the former owner and vice president of environmental communications and planning firm, Circlepoint. She brought HP a wealth of experience in marketing and business development, having managed high-profile public and private projects with business, government, community and nongovernmental organizations in the areas of energy, water, wastewater, hazardous waste, transportation and natural resource protection.
She was born and raised in an Irish immigrant household with a highly principled single mother, and is results-driven, creative and very decisive. Nixon-Gardiner has never wavered in her ability to turn vision into reality—particularly when related to environmental and human rights protection.
Launching her 25-year career in environmental stewardship, this Pennsylvania State University sociology graduate—and impassioned “no-nukes” activist—was a natural fit to lead the public relations efforts for the Boston Harbor Cleanup Program. It was a colossal, $3.8 billion undertaking that addressed more than 300 years of metro waste disposal in what was considered at the time (1985) to be one of the most polluted waterways in the nation. She was inspired by a mentor there to make herself dispensable by creating a system that encouraged others to act as social and environmental ambassadors: “by vowing to leave the world in better condition.”
She moved to Boston after “backpacking around the world for three years,” and knew herself to be a true adventurer. “I credit a strong sense of importance in justice, fairness and equity from my mother,” says Nixon-Gardiner, who, prior to launching her career, lived in the UK, Poland, Holland and India.
The past decade has taken Nixon-Gardiner throughout the emerging economies of Mexico, Eastern Europe and Asia. “Hewlett Packard is an amazing company with a strong, ethical belief system that works tirelessly to investigate the human rights issues of workers in manufacturing and production around the world, as well as monitoring the impact of productivity on the environment.
“I feel incredibly rewarded by having the opportunity to leave such a legacy,” she says. “I’m intent on ensuring this is creating a difference. I’m determined not to get lost in the details and instead consistently follow up—and focus on—the bigger picture.”
According to Nixon-Gardiner, the perils of obsolescence pose the greatest questions in the changing world of business. She says recycling is key. “Where does all the old material and excess packaging go?” she asks. “What happens to the landfill? How can we continue to produce less packaging and further develop virtualization?”
Similarly, Nixon-Gardiner believes that by creating global benchmarks for treating workers respectfully—by ensuring they’re not working excessive hours, are paid fairly and taken care of in the workplace—chronic turnover rates will stabilize and overall living conditions will be improved around the world.
“This important part of global business practice has a broader impact across every industry, which also affects billions of people in their homes, providing amazing opportunities for communication, information and empowerment for a better way to live their lives.”
Nixon-Gardiner sees this as an incredibly exciting era for women in the global workforce. “The next 50 years of business will be remarkably complex,” she says. “The world is becoming so interdependent that this complexity will require an enormous amount of juggling. The need to be collaborative will become one of the most significant skill sets to have.”
Nixon-Gardiner believes this is an area where women typically excel. She sees the challenge as one that means women will have to learn to be more assertive in top management positions. “In a womanly way,” she says. “Clear, confident and pushing hard on management to create forums for women in business.”
One of the most gratifying experiences Nixon-Gardiner routinely has had in her past travels with Hewlett Packard is the feedback from thousands of female workers in Asian, Eastern European and South American production facilities. “Women coming after me as I leave the facility,” says Nixon-Gardiner, “thanking me for caring about them and making an impact on their lives. It blows me away.”
Family and friends enjoy a close bond with the trailblazing businesswoman. When she’s back on home turf, you can find Nixon-Gardiner hiking or mountain biking the many scenic trails and paths of the North Bay.
A long-time member of the North Bay’s Don’t Quit Your Day Job dance troupe, Nixon-Gardiner has also managed to find sufficient leisure time to add accomplished equestrian and sailor to her credentials. She’s truly a life force in her own right.
Susan Duvall-Dickson, COO, Salient Wealth Management
Susan Duvall-Dickson believes new technology will be featured as a key element of all future business. She also feels the development of core relationships and strong community connections—both global and local—will be every bit as important for success.
“It will be extremely important for businesses to be able to keep up with emerging technology as new tools are developed,” says Duvall-Dickson, COO of Marin County’s prestigious Salient Wealth Management. “But if we’re to create a sustainable world, it’ll be essential to work together to develop and create the structures needed to make that happen. This can’t be done in a vacuum or with technology alone.”
A former small business owner, Duvall-Dickson is responsible for overseeing risk management, finance and administration, human resources, public relations, marketing and facilities management at San Rafael-based Salient, one of the oldest privately held wealth management firms in the Bay Area. It has more than $460 million in assets under management, using what Duvall-Dickson describes as a “time-tested, long-term, passive, academic investment strategy.” Salient was founded by Richard Stone in 1983.
“Salient has let me fully stretch my wings in what’s been the best business decision of my life,” says Duvall-Dickson, who relishes the challenge of aiding in the development of firm-wide systems to stay ahead of the technology curve.
“Younger clients instant message constantly, and the continuous use of the Internet in wealth management has forced us to look at ways to adapt to the next generation,” she says. “Though they’re the most educated, technology-savvy generation in history, it’s important to note that, for all of the things people think this generation lacks, such as company loyalty, they make up for with a greater sense of community and an understanding of the need to give back.”
Giving back is a concept Duvall-Dickson understands thoroughly from first-hand experience in pushing herself beyond her typical 50- to 60-hour workweek. She graduated from Dominican University of California with an MBA in Strategic Leadership in 2004 and continues to work on her doctorate (EdD) at the University of San Francisco (USF). She also serves on the boards of Junior League of Napa-Sonoma and the Marin Education Fund, sits on the Bay Area Council Transportation Committee and is a member of the steering committee for Dominican University’s Women, Leadership and Philanthropy Council.
“I’ve learned it’s not about me,” she says. “It’s all about the people around me—their needs are more important than mine. I strive to always walk the walk and talk the talk when it comes to ethics and integrity.”
Grandmother of three, Duvall-Dickson views her position at Salient as “divine providence” after dedicating years of her adult life to the part-time pursuit of ongoing education, self development and small business ownership.
After juggling the raising of two daughters with completing her own education (the girls were 22 and 17 when Duvall-Dickson returned to school to finish her undergrad work and pursue her MBA) and the running of two successful small businesses, Duvall-Dickson set out to dispel the myth of the glass ceiling. “Not that I ever really believed in a glass ceiling—or a marble one for that matter,” she says. “A friend once suggested to me that it’s more of a case of a sticky floor. Women have been reluctant to think of themselves as able to leave the nurturing role, with industries having been traditionally so male-dominated. But things are finally beginning to shift.”
In 2005, when Duvall-Dickson joined Salient as business manager, she frequently found herself one of very few females at wealth management conferences. “I didn’t want to approach this industry as a man would,” she says. She believes that, as a woman and as a former small business owner with outstanding organization and leadership skills, she brings a far different perspective to the wealth management industry.
When asked what she specifically brought to Salient, Duvall-Dickson says: “I think it’s the depth and breadth of my experience, along with my ability to be flexible and adaptable to change, that’s perhaps my biggest strength and where I make my greatest contribution [to any organization]. Also, I’m an optimistic realist—always willing to make a change if it makes sense.”
Taking on adult education to the level of a doctorate while pursuing a top-drawer career shouldn’t be seen as an unachievable goal for women or men who have alternative career aspirations. According to Duvall-Dickson, it’s entirely plausible to juggle family, work and school with a clear focus and cooperation from family members. She credits her husband and daughters for their continued support of her advancing educational goals. “My general words of wisdom to others would be that no dream is unrealistic if you stay focused on the goal. But, on your way, don’t take yourself too seriously—and be sure to keep a sense of humor!”
Duvall-Dickson says the arrival of her grandchildren (now ages 13, 10 and six months) has inspired her go forward with her career in business and education. “It’s my way of showing the next generation, and specifically my granddaughter, that yes, you can do it all, even after raising a family.”
Dr. Kathryn Najafi-Tagol, CEO, Eye Institute of Marin
Marin County’s pioneering board certified physician and eye surgeon, Dr. Kathryn Najafi-Tagol, boldly bucked the trend of group ophthalmology practices in 2004 when she launched her state-of-the-art solo practice, the Eye Institute of Marin.
Offering the best technology available for all eye care needs, Najafi-Tagol is not only the one fellowship-trained glaucoma specialist in Marin County—and the only surgeon at Marin General to perform any of the advanced glaucoma surgeries available today—she’s also among the very few female ophthalmic surgeons in the Bay Area and beyond.
She’s highly trained and skilled in the latest diagnostic tools and treatments of serious eye conditions such as cataract, glaucoma, diabetic eye, macular degeneration, dry eyes and laser vision correction (LASIK). Najafi-Tagol also has been instrumental in the cutting-edge, scientific development of a potential new treatment for viral conjunctivitis, a common eye infection for which there is currently no treatment.
As an adviser to NovaBay Pharmaceuticals in the East Bay, Najafi-Tagol helped design and run early tests to demonstrate the safety of this innovative anti-bacterial compound drug that can be administered via eye drops, nasal sprays and ointments and could reverse or prevent a broad range of infections beyond conjunctivitis.
“Should this treatment be deemed successful, the huge impact it would have on worldwide prevention of drug-resistant bacteria would be immense,” says Najafi-Tagol. “I’m delighted to have been involved in the development of treatments for patients,” she says.
Her vision of creating a center of excellence for eye care has captured accolades and attention from dedicated patients all over the United States. And last fall, she was named best ophthalmologist in Marin County by viewers of KRON 4’s “Best of the Bay.”
Her success is a far cry from her arrival in the Bay Area as a limited-English-speaking student at San Francisco’s Mercy High School in 1983. “My family escaped Iran under Khomeini’s regime,” says Najafi-Tagol. “We fell in love with San Francisco.”
With a pharmacologist father and an older brother who was already a Ph.D. student at UC Davis, the 15-year-old future ophthalmologist had ready-made role models for her dream of becoming a doctor.
“After exploring all of the fields of medicine, I truly fell for ophthalmology as an important area of developing science,” says Najafi-Tagol. “With early diagnosis for glaucoma, I can treat patients with the advanced technologies available today.”
Najafi-Tagol considers this an exceptional time in the history of ongoing development in eye surgery. “It’s a fantastic moment to use the most innovative lenses ever available,” she says. “The ability to correct vision, remove cataracts and correct astigmatism is a medical miracle.”
Because of the increased amount of people over 40 having regular and thorough eye examinations, Najafi-Tagol anticipates greater levels of eye disease detection in the aging baby boomer generation over the next 20 years. She says this advancement has been a long time coming in many parts of the world. She plans to return to Southeast India to resume missionary work she began a decade ago in a small village there.
“That one-month program was the best thing I did during my residency,” says Najafi-Tagol. She completed her clinical fellowship at the prestigious Doheny Eye Institute at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and completed her ophthalmology residency at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.
“The opportunity to go back and explore my field in a developing country will let me perform extensive surgery on an epidemic of villagers suffering from cataracts, bussed into the hospital and bussed back home again after surgery,” says Najafi-Tagol. “The hospital I’m going to is dedicated to eye surgery. There’s so much talent outside of the United States, it’s incredible.”
Mother of one school-aged daughter, Najafi-Tagol strives to put family first, despite her outstanding achievements in medicine, science and missionary work. “As a woman, I maintain a positive attitude toward all areas of life,” she says. “I’ve never let myself think it’s not possible to do something. The key to my success has been this positive attitude.”
And though more women are entering the field of eye care, still greater amounts of women doctors continue to enter into more “predictable” medical fields, including pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology. “It was my greatest business decision to break away and open my own practice,” says Najafi-Tagol, who now employs a staff of five. “This way, I’m my own boss, and I’m fully able to offer the most advanced treatments available along with the highest level of personal care and attention.”
Three local women who chose nontraditional paths to turn their dreams into reality.
Nothing has been more gratifying for Najafi-Tagol than knowing she’s detected and treated thousands of patients with the precise medical care that’s saved their eyesight. “I see between 20 and 30 patients a day,” says Najafi-Tagol. “With early detection of disease, I’m dedicated to helping them live their entire lives with good eyesight.”
Linked by a thread of common ideology, Nixon-Gardiner, Duvall-Dickson and Najafi-Tagol are all finding success in previously untraditional career choices. Yet each of these extraordinary leaders considers premium service and personal accountability as keys to reaching their goals.
