An Interview With Vanessa Ogle
Challenging stereotypes & norms. Women are often underrepresented across spaces, or when they are allowed in the room, are expected to stay quiet or fall in line. I refuse to do this. I make it known when I have an opinion that I feel would add value to the conversation, and I want to support other women in using their voice to speak on what they believe in.
Despite strides towards equality, women remain underrepresented in leadership and management roles across various sectors. In this series, we would like to discuss the barriers to female advancement in these areas and explore actionable strategies for change. We are talking with accomplished women leaders, executives, and pioneers who have navigated these challenges successfully, to hear their experiences, tactics, and advice to inspire and guide the next generation of women toward achieving their full potential in leadership and management roles. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Maria Russo.
Maria Russo is a proud native of Jefferson County, West Virginia. She has worked as a Jefferson County public school teacher and coach, a public policy strategist, a small business owner, and a clean water advocate in West Virginia. After graduating with a degree in Public Policy from Brown University in 2018, Maria worked on many public policy campaigns in New York City and Atlanta. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided it was time to move back home to West Virginia and found a renewed sense of purpose in serving her community. Today, Maria is committed to working alongside the people of West Virginia to ensure a better, brighter future.
Currently, West Virginia has the lowest number of women legislators out of all 50 states, at a mere 11 percent. Maria is running for the West Virginia House of Delegates, to prove that women deserve a seat at the table, and will work to provide an effective voice for women and young people in her community.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I grew up on a small farm outside of Shepherdstown, West Virginia. I spent a lot of my younger years running through the woods barefoot and picking food from the garden. Since I was young, my life experiences made me certain that all humans deserve a peaceful place to exist, where they can express their creativity and freedom.
As I grew older, these values I was raised on transformed into a commitment to justice. I left West Virginia to attend Brown University, where I studied Public Policy. I had a desire to enact positive change, and I was hopeful that this career path would enable me with the tools to make those dreams a reality. After graduating, I moved to New York City to work on restorative drug policy work. I then moved to Atlanta and worked for Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ Office in the City of Atlanta, on a community-supported criminal justice campaign. These high-impact projects taught me so much about myself and the world, but something always felt like it was missing.
It was once the COVID-19 pandemic began, that I realized it was time for me to head home, so that I could make a meaningful impact and improve systems for the betterment of our people, right here at home. After the knowledge and life skills I had gained, I was ready to return home to the people who make West Virginia such a special place, and I knew it was time to stand for my people.
In my work, I have been inspired by so many incredible women through the years. I now aim to carry the torch, so that I may inspire other young women to step into the spaces that they are not currently represented, share their perspectives, and use their voice.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
While working for the Mayor’s Office in the City of Atlanta, I once agreed to work the Masked Ball, one of the Mayor’s largest fundraisers and events of the year. I was mostly helping to set up and usher people in once they arrived. About a half hour into the event, I was asked to show two people to their tables: it was Shaquille O’Neal and 2 Chainz! I couldn’t really believe it when I realized what was happening. I don’t think I said a word as I showed them to their table. At that moment, I realized how immensely fortunate I was to have made it into that room. By working hard, I was able to put myself in the mix and reach audiences I never would have reached, had I stayed in my comfort zone.
Can you share a pivotal moment in your career that significantly influenced your path to leadership?
I still remember the call I received from my dad at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. I remember him warning me that “this thing is going to get really bad,” and informing me that he had gotten chickens on the farm, back home. The baby chicks were the first reason that brought me home, and I did not realize at the time how pivotal the decision that they encouraged me to make would become. During the pandemic, I came home to West Virginia for what I thought would only be about 2 weeks — it ended up being closer to 2 months. With everything shut down in Atlanta, it felt more comfortable for me to work from the farm, where I could go out in my afternoons and tend to the baby chicks or the flowering tomato plants. It was during this time that I really reflected on my personal purpose. I asked myself: When everything in the world felt so uncertain and scary, who did I want to become? It was during this period that I allowed myself to admit that I was being called home, and I had no idea about the amazing work that was about to unfold in front of me.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
The single most influential, wise, and supportive person in my life is my sister, Rosie. She is five years older than I am, but we are constantly asked if we are twins. Sometimes we say yes. I would not be the person I am today, without her love and support along the way. Rosie is a Social Worker and Therapist, and supports people every day on their personal healing journeys. She has always possessed a depth of wisdom and tender support that is hard to fully put into words.
Before the pandemic began, Rosie was living in New York City while I was living in Atlanta. We would travel between cities to see one another, sometimes meeting up in the middle at home in West Virginia. When the world changed overnight, both of us were left reevaluating our lives and working to understand what it was that we each really needed. In the summer of 2020, we met up for a few days in North Carolina, on one of our classic “sister moons.” It is like a honeymoon — but for your sisterhood! It was during these few days that we made vision boards and talked about the futures we wanted to create– and Sistermoon Farm was born.
Sistermoon Farm is our 33-acre space on our family farm where we grew up, that we poured into as a passion project during the quarantined days. We took care of the chickens I mentioned before, we made our own granola recipes, and we grew food on the land we were raised from. We went to the farmers market for 2 years, and once we were able to gather again, began throwing our annual music and art festival on the farm, Tomato Jam!
While my sister and I have both gone back to working full time jobs and the farm is something we do on the side, it remains very important in our hearts. Sistermoon Farm is a metaphor for the healing, creative exploration, and community building we know is essential, and want to help provide for our communities.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
The book that resonated most with me is Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. The novel follows a young woman on her journey in a post-apocalyptic world, heavily impacted by climate change and social inequality. I read this book in 2020, and while the challenges we were facing as a collective were slightly different, many of the themes rang true. Lauren, the young woman, was forced to prove to herself that she could be resilient and strong in an ever-changing world. It gives me goosebumps thinking about it. I don’t want to ruin any of it, so I will stop there. But this is a must read!
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
My life lesson quote is “Trust the Process.” It was actually my instagram bio for many years (haha!). While I have been afforded so many blessings in my life, I have also moved through a huge amount of loss and pain, too. We can’t often pick the parts of the process that we experience. But we can choose how we use the lessons gained through our life experiences, and carry them forward with us. I hope I keep coming back to this quote and keep trusting the process, even through the difficult parts of life that I do not fully understand at the time.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
As a first-time candidate, I am working on building a platform that meets the most immediate and pressing needs of my community. My platform is based on ensuring clean air and water, improving pay for all public employees, providing more robust support and resources for public school teachers and service personnel, upgrading infrastructure such as roads and high-speed internet access, and protecting public health of West Virginians, among other things. While the larger political narrative is focused on national, large-scale issues, I want to make positive change in the areas that affect peoples’ lives in my community every day.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this report, only about 31.7% of top executive positions across industries are held by women. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from leadership and management?
I believe general lack of representation of women makes it harder for aspiring female leaders to know where they fit into leadership roles or to find mentors that will help them to succeed. Historically, women were excluded from the workforce and expected to stay home to take care of children and the home. Now, we are expected to do all of that and to build a successful career, which makes establishing a work life balance difficult. Often, there is a lack of supportive policies, such as family leave or access to affordable childcare, that could make this effort less of a lift. Essentially, women are expected to hold more on their shoulders, but are not given the support to carry that burden.
In many cases, there is also a gender bias that also excludes women from succeeding at the rate they could, if supported. In male dominated circles and spaces, women are not expected to succeed, so they are often not given the chance to try. It is up to us as strong women leaders to shatter those glass ceilings that aim to keep us down.
This might be intuitive to you but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become leaders and managers?
More women should be leaders and managers, because more women’s voices need to be heard, and our perspectives need considering. As we know, young women and young men are socialized very differently. Women tend to be more supported in expressing their emotions, and are encouraged to be nurturing caretakers. These are qualities I want in my decision-makers, when they are making decisions about our workers, families, and all people in our communities. This is especially important when making decisions about women and their bodies, the futures, and/or their families. It is critical for us to increase women in leadership roles, so that we can support the next generation of women, and lift up future generations to come.
Can you please share “5 Things We Need To Increase Women’s Engagement in Leadership and Management?”
1 . Creating pathways for women to gain experience/exposure to leadership in politics. As stated above, West Virginia has the least amount of women in the legislature, when compared across all 50 states. This sad reality sends a message to the women of West Virginia, suggesting that their voices do not matter and that they do not deserve a seat at the decision-making table. Despite this narrative, my hope is that by running for office and representing my community, I can prove otherwise.
2 . Transparency & accountability When women see that their contributions are valued and their voices are heard, they are more likely to actively engage in leadership. Transparency in decision-making processes allows for inclusivity, where diverse perspectives, including those of women, are considered and respected. If elected, I am committed to staying transparent about decision-making rationales and processes, so that my constituents feel more confident in speaking up and participating in advocacy.
3 . Supportive public policies. There are many supportive public policies we could be putting into place to support women, including family leave, accessible and affordable childcare, more robust public health support, and more. This past year, the West Virginia legislature introduced (and thankfully did not pass) House Bill 5243, or the “Women’s Bill of Rights.” While that seems like it should be a good thing for women, it actually did more to take rights away from women. It had restrictive definitions of gender and stated that “equal” rights for men and women do not mean the “same.” This piece of legislation is a key example of people pretending to show support for women, but actually doing more harm than good. If elected, I aim to spend my time in the legislature helping women with supportive pieces of legislation that improve the quality of our lives, and therefore the lives of all.
4 . Challenging stereotypes & norms. Women are often underrepresented across spaces, or when they are allowed in the room, are expected to stay quiet or fall in line. I refuse to do this. I make it known when I have an opinion that I feel would add value to the conversation, and I want to support other women in using their voice to speak on what they believe in.
5 . Creating spaces for women to voice their opinions and share feedback. We need to build strong networks of women, for women. Supporting women is something I feel very passionate about, and something I want to increase access to.
In your opinion, what systemic changes are needed to facilitate more equitable access for women to leadership roles?
There are many systemic barriers that keep women out of the workforce or out of leadership roles, some of which I mentioned above. I think the first thing we need to do is acknowledge what may keep people out of leadership roles, so that we can begin to address it. When we take an honest look at the barriers such as unaffordable childcare or systemic underrepresentation, we can begin to address these items which may keep women out of stepping into their full potential of leadership.
What strategies have you found most effective in mentoring and supporting other women to pursue leadership positions?
The strategies I have found most effective are having women support other women, and making sure they know how important their presence is. I have had many amazing mentors in my life, and I try to use the skills I have learned from other strong women to encourage engagement with other women around me. We are stronger together, so we must bring each other along in the good fight. By offering guidance and advice, or just a listening ear, we can serve as role models for one another and provide the much needed support we all need. When women are supported in spaces, they will want to engage more, increasing opportunities for networking and inspiring more active participation in the future.
How would you advise a woman leader about how to navigate the challenges of being a woman in a leadership role within a male-dominated industry?
My advice to women navigating male-dominated industries or spaces is to first, find your allies. Find the other women in the room and start building your support network with them. Figure out which men in the room are your allies, too. This will help you figure out who of the people around you wants to see you succeed! From there, you will be better positioned to keep showing up as your authentic self, to believe in why your presence is important, and to speak up for what you believe in.
How do you balance the demand for authoritative leadership with the stereotypical expectations of female behavior in professional settings?
In a professional setting, I work hard to make sure I am effectively using my voice. When I stand confidently and can be proud of what I have to share, I make it known that I deserve to be a part of the conversations. While it may be expected of me to sit down or remain quiet, I refuse to conform to the expectations or standards set for me and other women. My leadership style includes open communication and working collaboratively, because I believe that the best solutions to any problem are developed together. By rooting ourselves in our knowledge and power, women can demonstrate that women deserve a seat at the table and that our voices, perspectives, and opinions need to be heard.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
This is a great question and this is exactly why I am running for office. While I know that electoral politics and policy work are definitely not perfect, I do believe it is one way that we can begin to shape and shift our systems. I also believe that women need to be more represented in all spaces, including the WV House of Delegates! I am hoping the campaign can be a platform to inspire other young women who want to make a difference in their communities, and increase visibility of the importance of women leadership!
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Readers can feel free to check out my campaign website at www.russo4wv.com, follow me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/russo4wv, or on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mariarusso4wv/. I would love to hear from you!
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.
Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.
Maria Russo On How We Can Increase Women’s Engagement in Leadership and Management was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.