Herman Melville said, “To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.” BART general manager Grace Crunican and consultant and former MassDOT/MBTA board member Liz Levin have produced a mighty book by choosing a worthy theme that resonates, challenges, and uplifts, offering wisdom for the transportation ages.
Boots on the Ground, Flats in the Boardroom: Transportation Women Tell Their Stories details the rise of 18 pioneering women—in their own words—in the transportation industry. But these were not women toiling away in obscurity. Covering virtually every discipline, these women, at the heart of their modes, made a very real difference, triumphing despite great odds. From the woman who ran the Federal Aviation Administration during 9/11 to the woman who helped make seatbelts standard in cars to the woman who implemented a zero-tolerance accident policy at the Federal Railroad Administration, Boots on the Ground is packed with anecdotes that entertain and enlighten, inform and encourage, instruct and inspire. It is destined to become an integral part of every transportation professional’s shelf.
You know the names: Mary Peters, Jane Chmielinski, Shirley DeLibero, Nuria Fernandez, Jolene Molitoris, Dr. Beverly Scott, Rina Cutler—all luminaries in transportation. Yet few know exactly what they encountered on their rise up the transportation ladder. But their words are out now.
Former Houston Metro CEO Shirley DeLibero on her experience when she joined the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in the late 1970s:
“As Superintendent of the Green Line, it was tough. They were terrible to me. Every morning I came in there were obscenities carved into my wooden door…And when I would walk through the car barn they would call me all kinds of names. They were very vocal about the fact that I was black—and they didn’t say black then.”
Pivotal career advice given to Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority General Manager/CEO Nuria Fernandez; she heard this right after giving birth to her second child and earned her MBA two years later:
“Get an MBA and a law degree. I’m sorry, but this is just the plain truth for women. The job market in this field is male-dominated, competitive, and unforgiving. The more credentialed you are, the more opportunities will be available to you. And then there will be no question why your supervisor is offering you the position.”
Former Fortune 500 Company AECOM COO Jane Chmielinski, who served as a hostess for spouses during an APTA conference in the 1980s.
“The big American Public Transportation Association (APTA) conference was coming to town. The MBTA was a sponsor. One of the executives asked me and fifteen other women around my age if we would be hostesses! He asked us if we would take care of the spouses of the attendees. And we asked, ‘What do you mean take care of them?’ And he said, ‘Someone may need a hair dressing appointment…’ So we wore corsages and sashes, and we took care of the spouses. The thing that was so bizarre was that there were other women back at the MBTA that were jealous!”
But those quotes are only the tip of the iceberg. Many more are so frank that decorum demands a reading of the book to learn them. But Crunican and Levin’s motive in writing the book is anything but sensationalism. In the opening chapter, The Power of Stories, they explain exactly why they undertook such a demanding endeavor.
“We knew strong, powerful women who had succeeded in traditionally male-dominated arenas. We wanted to provide examples of women role models and leaders. We wanted to capture the story of early female transportation leaders before their stories faded away. And we knew their stories would contain fascinating tales, examples of leadership, unbelievable stories of human behavior (both good and bad), and advice that would benefit young, mid-career, and even senior women—as well as some men…We saw a real need for conversation about the combination of career and personal decision making and the intersection of personal and work values, dynamics, logistics, and politics.”
Other women in the book include Lillian Borrone, Anne Canby, Joan Claybrook, Jane Garvey, Ann Hershfang, Dana Hook, Susan Martinovich, Mary Jane O’Meara, and LaVerne Francis Reid.
“To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.” With Boots on the Ground, Flats in the Boardroom, Grace Crunican and Liz Levin have done exactly that.
