Donna Bailey: A Lifetime Of Holding The Ladder Down For Women

It’s safe to say that Donna Bailey has always been a girl’s girl. In our last installment, she told us about her passionate involvement with the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and changing the way the world sees women’s golf. During her tenure on the LPGA Foundation, she’s been integral in building numerous golf programs for women of all ages and economies. Most importantly, she’s moved the game forward for women. -- all of this, after her retirement from corporate America. Efficacy, it seems, doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Donna’s success at the LPGA is due in large part to the silent female champions of her past who empowered Donna, taught her the ropes, and most importantly, showed her by example how to hold the ladder down.

Based on the view out her back door, it’s hard to imagine that Donna Bailey didn’t come from much. Between the mountain framed horizon, rainbow-colored trees, and perfectly manicured lawns, I briefly contemplated asking if I could move in. On a cold Monday morning, we sipped coffee from porcelain cups on her back porch, which overlooked the expansive Walnut Cove golf course in Asheville, NC. Childhood for Donna, however, was starkly different. She reminisced on her mother, and how hard she worked to give Donna a better life, following a divorce from Donna’s father: “All she wanted was for me to find a man who could support me, so I wouldn’t be hungry. That’s all she did her whole life was try and get food on the table.” Donna proved to be as ambitious as she was talented, and her mother supported her every step of the way. “As I moved along in my career, she was thrilled that I was successful, but she didn’t even have a comprehension that [a woman] could do that.” Times were changing; women were entering the workforce in droves; and Donna was ready to take the bull by its horns.

After working for years as a secretary, Donna realized finishing her degree was her next priority. But, as crucial as a degree was for her career, relationships with other women proved to be just as fruitful and empowering. One such woman was Dr. Hilda Allred, a professor of communications at the University of Rhode Island. Dr. Allred participated in a hiring committee for the university, and helped Donna see that her secretarial skills could translate into professional jobs within the university. Donna applied to one such job, as a meetings and seminar manager in the business school, and landed it. “[Dr. Allred] supported me. . . She constantly opened doors for me and challenged me. She made me enter a state contest for young women, and I had to give speeches. I had to give a speech in front of 500 people!” Aside from encouraging Donna to develop her professional skills, in areas that had traditionally been reserved for men, she educated Donna on women’s liberation. “She made me read books; she took me to programs,” Donna recalled. “So I understood how to empower those around me.. . [Hilda] was really the person who empowered me, because she gave me words. She gave me an ideological look at things, so I could take more power. The more educated women are on empowerment, the more they can’t be taken advantage of, and the more they can open doors for themselves and others, if they want to.”

Donna recalled a time when, while working at the University of Rhode Island, she organized an educational multi-day conference on sales. Salespeople -- all men -- came from numerous large companies to fine-tune their skills. On the first day of the symposium, one particular salesman from a Fortune 500 made a move on Donna, despite her protests. “I said, you’ve got to be kidding! But he wouldn’t stop. I was so pissed, so I went and talked to my friend. Dr. Allred. . . I said I don’t know what to do. I have to go back to the classroom for three days with this guy.” But Dr. Allred had a plan: she turned Donna’s frustration into action, while also using the incident to teach her students about harassment and professionalism. Donna paid a visit to Dr. Allred’s communication class, and presented them with her problem. The students’ homework was to draft a letter to the salesman’s headquarters, communicate the incident, and request an apology from corporate. This experience allowed Donna to hear multiple ideas, solutions, and theories on how to confront sexism in the workplace and demand professionalism, before sending off her final letter.

​​The skills and fearlessness Donna learned under the direction of Dr. Hilda Allred followed her all the way to Columbia, SC, where she became the meetings manager of a leading software vendor for insurance companies. She quickly rose through the ranks, with her record of success, and ability to produce results and take on new challenges without skipping a beat. Eventually, Donna became the manager of marketing communications, followed by the manager of marketing support, a very technical job that had never been held by a woman at the company. “I had no qualifications for that [position], but what I could do was manage people really well, “ Donna said, reflecting on the period. “I asked, what’s the biggest problem in this department? Salaries. . . So I fought for salaries, male and female alike.”

​​As she moved up the career ladder, Donna experienced her fair share of naysayers. Male colleagues routinely doubted her lack of direct experience. Laughing, she remembered one incident where a colleague expressed apprehension in her ability to lead a department she had no technical experience running. “You’ve had four guys before me who have failed.” She explained, groaning. “What have you got to lose?” Higher ups, however, knew her capability. “It was the first time anyone had turned the entire department around. And I turned it around with women.” That’s right: Donna’s first priority was hiring more women. “I knew my success was going to be one particular woman. If I could get her, I could get everybody.” But this particular woman was hesitant to come work in collaboration with overtly sexist salesmen. So Donna put on her armor, and went to bat for the woman she knew she needed. She called a meeting with the salesmen, and warned them: “If you do anything outside of these boundaries, you will never get marketing support as long as I have the job.” Eventually, the woman joined Donna’s team, which allowed her to attract more women, because they trusted that Donna would stand up for them -- personally and professionally.

Years later, another career-changing incident occurred, this time to a female employee who didn’t even work for Donna. By this time, Donna’s reputation in the company had developed for protecting women from harassment. Horrified, Donna was informed that the female employee had gone on a recruiting trip with her male manager, and the manager purposefully reserved a hotel room with only one bed. “She slept in the lobby all night,” Donna said seriously. “This was typical of this particular guy.” Within twenty-four hours, Donna got the female employee transferred to another section that Donna knew was safer for women, and still amenable to her skillset. Once again, Donna had done the unthinkable. “Transfers were the most difficult thing to do in that company, and I got it done in twenty-four hours. Usually, it was months and months.” She went on to explain why she views leadership as much more than a “job;” it’s a role. Once she showed she was using her leadership and influence to protect women at work, “[T]hey knew they could trust me. . .It was about standing up for what I thought was right. And it was absolute bullshit to do that to this woman. She was 21. She was just out of college.”

Asked why she thinks mentoring other women is so important, Donna knew exactly why -- from years of firsthand experience. “[Y]ou can guide them, keep them out of trouble, and open doors.” She moved seamlessly into a story about a woman she promoted and mentored, who blossomed before her eyes with guidance and encouragement. “When I was working, we had no female salespeople. Zip.” Needing to recruit more salespeople, with strong client relationships, Donna knew the perfect person: a woman within the company named Diane. After careful thought, she approached Diane with her idea. “It’s time for you to become a salesperson, Diane,” Donna recounted. After landing the unprecedented job as a branch manager, Diane settled into her position as the only female salesperson. “She was doing a fine job. Her customers loved her, but she hadn’t made a sale. And the second quarter, she doesn’t make a sale. Third quarter, she doesn’t make a sale.” The higher-ups were concerned. “So I went to Diane and said, ‘You need to make a sale,’” Donna explained solemnly. “It’s going to cost you your job. You have a great relationships with these people; go to them and say, ‘If I don’t make this sale, I’m not going to have a job.’ I bet you they’ll close because you have this great relationship.” So Diane did what Donna suggested. As it turned out, Donna was right: Diane’s clients that she’d built relationships with over the years were happy to oblige. “And oh my dear,” Donna exclaimed, “The next year, she was the salesperson of the year! But she needed the mentorship to help her determine how she could make a sale. I understood her style: just be honest, ask them, and say why it’s important. You’ve already sold them; they’re just stalling. Mentorship is important because you can look at the person differently and evaluate their skillsets and help open those doors.”

Donna made it her life’s work to blaze trails for women: on the golf course, in corporate America, and in the boardroom. She’s tirelessly advocated for women to be able to do the same work as men. She’s held down the ladder to consistently bring other women on her journey. The good news is that she’s far from done. When I last saw Donna, she was wrapping up her term at the LPGA Foundation, and focusing her efforts on developing mentorship programs at UNC Asheville. Retirement has been underway for quite a while, although we might have different definitions of retirement. Mine would involve more naps, I think. After touching base with Donna a couple weeks ago, however, she’s informed me that she’s back in the office. For the last six months, her close friend and former mentee has been undergoing treatment for cancer. Doctors say she’ll need at least another four to six months of recovery before she can come back to work. As the marketing director of her company, she needed some help. Without hesitation, Donna gave up retirement and stepped into the role, temporarily, for her friend. Commuting, long days, and the daily grind are back on the table, but “that is nothing compared to the piece of mind for my friend so she can focus on healing and not worry about her future.” Donna’s story is proof that, as women, we truly are stronger and live fuller lives when we support each other both personally and professionally.