With all the women working at and running different businesses, organizations etc. in San Diego, March is a good time to highlight some of them during Women’s History Month.

The National Women’s Business Council noted in its annual report (2020) that 42 percent of all U.S. companies are owned by women. It is also stated that women are more likely to start a business than their male counterparts.

In celebrating this special month, there are plenty of area women standing out in their respective careers.

Take for example Patrick Henry High School Principal Michelle Irwin (pictured middle above with Elise Morgan, left, and Vivian Vaccarino, right).

Irwin has been an educator in SDUSD since 1995. She has been a principal for 21 years.

“I got started in education when I was a TA earning my Master’s Degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder,” Irwin stated. “My purpose is to provide opportunities for students to become thoughtful productive citizens in our global society.”

Like many others, Irwin had to overcome challenges to become the successful woman she has been for many years.

“As a first-generation college student, college and post-high school experiences (besides working) was a challenge to navigate this whole new world,” Irwin pointed out. “I am grateful for the professors and my parents who gave me the courage and support to continue pursuing my dream of being an educator.”

Asked what advice she’d have for young women looking to make a go of it in the business world, Irwin noted, “Have courage…stay strong and focused. It is important to critical to continue learning and reading to stay innovative to best support a learning community.”

When it comes to other women she has looked up to, Irwin pointed to Dr. Fabula Bagula, Deputy Superintendent of SDUSD. “She is a woman I look up to. Dr. Bagula is an equity leader. She encourages leaders to provide ample opportunities for students and find ways to remove barriers that would hinder their growth. She challenges us to think outside the box in order to support our students.”

For Irwin, the job is something she enjoys doing on a regular basis.

“I love working with students and faculty,” Irwin stated. “It is fun to be part of a learning community where the focus on ensuring all students will graduate with integrity, purpose and options.”

Fellow PHHS staff member Vivian Vaccarino is a guidance counselor (head counselor II) at the school and loves what she does.

“I was considered as a returning student to the community college as a wife and a mother when I began attending college,” Vaccarino commented. “After obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in psychology at SDSU I decided I wanted to work in education so I could be on the same school/work schedule as my sons. It was my goal to spend my summers with my sons during their formative years. I have been a high school counselor since 2004 and was hired by Twain High School and transferred to Henry High School in January of 2007 becoming Head Counselor II in 2019.”

As Vaccarino notes, the role of a high school counselor is rooted in human services which are traditionally feminine roles, so there weren’t many roadblocks or challenges. The difficulty she said came in being a leader as woman of color in a predominately Euro-American suburban community.

For any young women out there looking to get into this profession, what advice would Vaccarino have for them?

“Set goals for yourself and don’t be afraid to pursue them knowing they may shift or come into greater focus as you move closer toward their realization,” Vaccarino remarked. “Allow for variation of what you envision and heed the advice of those who have blazed the path before you.”

When asked the best thing about the profession she is in, Vaccarino noted her favorite part is working with all students and seeing them grow and mature throughout their four years in high school.

When it comes to women community leader she has looked up to, Vaccarino said one who stands out more than others is Tomasa “Tommie” Camarillo who was the chairwoman for the Chicano Park Steering Committee for 51 years from 1970 to 2021.

“Her dedication to providing community service for all those years has been an inspiration and an example for me to continue uplifting the Chicano Community and its students,” Vaccarino stated.

Fellow staff member and special education teacher Elise Morgan has been an education specialist since 2013. That means she collaborates with general education teachers to create strategies and supports for students with disabilities so that they can access the curriculum.

“I initially got my English credential, but since it was challenging for a new teacher to find a job in humanities I added a special education credential,” Morgan commented. “I had no idea how much I would fall in love with my job and my students. Here I am still teaching special education 10 years later.”

Morgan said she is fortunate to be part of a profession where many women have blazed trails before her.

“Education involves some of the best female leadership in the world – there are many great women to learn from and be inspired by,” Morgan stated.

Asked about advice she would have for any young women looking to get into her line of work, Morgan noted, “My strategy at any job I’ve had is to watch for the people who are excellent at their jobs and highly respected and learn from them. During my first year at my current school, I sought out the teacher who won Teacher of the Year and in the same year was also chosen by students to deliver the commencement speech. Through working with them, I learned how to be a more patient teacher and how to better communicate with teenagers.”

Like many other jobs, workers oftentimes have one or more things they most like about what they do on a daily basis.

For Morgan, “There’s this sound in education that is my absolute favorite sound. After hours of teaching a student a concept in different ways, their foreheads stitched up in a frown, suddenly their eyes go wide and they exclaim, ‘ooooooooh! I get it!’ That sound is easily the best part of my job.”

When it comes to female business leaders she looks up to, Morgan remarked, “Daphne Sheldrick, the founder of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, dedicated her career to working with locals in Kenya to rescue and rehabilitate orphaned elephants in Kenya. I teach my students about the importance of taking care of our planet and its creatures, and we spend a significant amount of time studying her foundation. Her relentless dedication to conservationism is an inspiration for my students and me.”

Bringing news to the communities for many years

Another area woman who has built a successful career locally is San Diego Community Newspaper Group Publisher Julie Main.

Main got her start in the publishing business back in Idaho. That was when she became interested in layout and design in high school as yearbook editor as well as selling and designing local business ad sponsorships for the school’s sports team posters.

“After a few courses at the University of Idaho on photography, and marketing design concepts I was hooked,” Main commented. “I was hired as graphic designer for the Idahonian Newspaper in Moscow in1980 before moving to California in 1983. It was entirely different in those days. It was all cut and paste. Computers came later.”

When asked if there have been any challenges as a woman to get where she is today, Main said there were definitely obstacles to overcome.

“Men, as a majority, were in the publishers seat,” Main continued. “In the early days of newspaper publishing, I was co-publisher with my then husband. He played the public roll and I was mostly behind the scene as graphic designer, sales manager and making sure the papers came together.”

With some young women out there thinking of getting into the newspaper publishing business or any other line of work for that matter, Main has some advice for them.

“I would say for any young person getting into any business is be confident,” Main remarked. “Work smart. Learn early as much as you can about the industry you are interested in. Be flexible. Don’t be afraid of change.”

It is not uncommon for Main and other women who’ve ascended to important positions to have had female leaders to learn from.

“I had a strong female teacher, who taught us to look outside the box and ourselves,” Main said. “My mother was also a hard-working woman who demonstrated to me that women can do anything a man can do. I’ve always admired Margaret Thatcher for her role as Prime Minister of England from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime minister and the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20^th century.”

When it comes to the best thing about being in the publishing industry, Main was quick to point out its vastness.

“Publishing newspapers is exciting,” Main remarked. “There is so much to cover. So many ideas to employ. I enjoy the fast pace and deadlines and the reward of the end result knowing, there is always something more to write about. From the marketing aspect – we help people grow their business and tell their unique story. We play an important role in our communities, provide residents with information and news about their neighborhoods and community. It is very rewarding.”

Giving back to local residents

Dr. Andrea Dorris opened DC Doctors Chiropractic in San Diego in January of 2010. For her, getting introduced into chiropractic happened at a young age due to her competitive athletic background.

“Running, gymnastics, swimming, and triathlons were a significant part of my life growing up and getting adjusted helped with my asthma and overall athletic performance,” Dorris commented. “I was a Missouri state champion and 4X All-American in high school track. Chiropractic care helped me continue my running career in college. As a college student, I had to choose between a medical physician and a chiropractor. After working for a hepatologist in a hospital, I decided my upbeat personality and desire to work with active people fit the chiropractic profession best.”

Asked if there have been any notable challenges being a woman and getting where she is today in her profession, Dorris noted, “As a woman, there has been many challenges to become a chiropractor and business owner. For example, the majority of the chiropractic profession is male. All of my mentors in the profession are men, continuing education classes are tailored to a male population, and male patients who are taller than 6’5” do not think I can help them, which is totally not the case. Also, as a business owner, on a daily basis I battle with insurance companies’ and sale representatives not believing me that I am the business owner.”

Making sure such challenges have not made her back off from the profession she loves, Dorris wants others, especially younger girls, to know they too can make it in this line of work.

“Chiropractic is a strong and growing profession, great for both women and men seeking a career,” Dorris went on to say. “For any young women out there looking to get into the chiropractic profession, I would advise them the following advice. 1. Volunteer at a few chiropractic offices to experience what it is like 2. Enhance your speaking and communication skills, not just your academic classes. 3. Get adjusted yourself and experience how valuable it is.”

While noting there are not many “famous” women chiropractors that she knows of, Dorris indicated that leaves the door wide open. That is for all women chiropractors currently practicing to step-it-up and make a difference.

According to Dorris, Mabel Palmer was the first female chiropractor in 1905 and is still considered to be the most influential female of that profession. Palmer dedicated her life to the industry and taught for more than 40 years at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Iowa.

At the end of the day, Dorris believes that best thing about her job and owning the business is that it is fun.

“I sincerely enjoy going to work every day,” Dorris stated. “I get to help people achieve their career, fitness, and life goals. I get to hear repetitively every day from my patients that my adjustment and care is the best part of their day. I also really value that every day is different. We provide care to a vast variety of people. Busy business executives, professional and college athletes, pregnant mothers and children all benefit and value getting adjusted.”

Bringing smiles to countless people

From an early age, Dr. Leslie Phillips (Mission Trails Dentistry) said she was considering a career in health care, or going in a direction that included artistic possibilities as well.

“By eventually becoming a dentist, I was able to combine those two desires in a very satisfying way, by both helping people have good dental heath as well as creating beautiful smiles that bolstered people’s sense of happiness, self esteem, and self worth,” Phillips stated. “There is definitely artistry involved in dentistry. The crafting and carving of fillings and dental crowns, so that they perfectly match a patient’s facial characteristics and their smiles allows me to be artistic at the same time I can make them feel better. In addition, although it’s a bit of a cliché, I have always been a ‘people’ person. When you become a person’s personal dentist, over time, you truly begin to actually get to know and learn about them, their families, their hopes, and their dreams. Moreover, I have been working with many patients for so long, that I eventually started working on their spouses, their children, and am now starting to work on their children’s children.”

A dentist since 1985, Phillips graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry 38 years ago.

When she first decided to become a dentist, Phillips did encounter some male colleagues she said expressed their collective doubts that she’d actually be able to reach her ultimate goal of becoming a Doctor of Dental Surgery, or a D.D.S.

“As time passed, and I kept progressing through my educational path, it was personally gratifying to me to actually see a subtle change in these very same people and their attitudes towards me, as I got closer and closer to being accepted into UCLA’s graduate School of Dentistry,” Phillips noted. “While I was attending UCLA, approximately 30% of my class was female. I have learned through the UCLA Alumni Association that currently that percentage stands at more than 50% of each class, a wonderful statistic in what was once a male dominated profession.”

Upon graduation, Phillips entered the United States Air Force (USAF). On the base which she was stationed in San Antonio Texas, she quickly learned that she was the only female dentist out of a total of 110 other dentists.

Always happy to see young women get into the profession, Phillips has many years of advice to offer them.

“If there is a young woman possibly considering a career in dentistry, I would strongly recommend that she try volunteering at a local dental office so that she can see what goes on, understands both the challenges and the rewards, which would then enable her to make an educated decision before starting down this educational path,” Phillips remarked. “Furthermore, she would need to focus on mathematics and sciences as well, as competency in those areas will eventually be vitally important on the road to becoming a dentist.”

It comes as no surprise given her passion for the job that Phillips loves being a dentist.

“I have known many of my patients for more than 30 years,” Phillips pointed out. “To have a chance to care for entire families, year after year is very gratifying. You have a chance to feel a close connection to them as well as a definite feeling of trust. To be able to transform a person’s appearance as well as their health is very satisfying.”

As Phillips sees it, another wonderful thing about being a dentist is that it is the perfect profession to be able to maintain a “work-life balance” at the end of the day.

“This is very important for a person’s long-term mental and emotional happiness, especially when one is trying to balance ‘having it all’ while navigating throughout life’s journey,” Phillips stated. “Life goes by very fast, and I wanted to have the time for a career and a family.”

Given the guidance some of her female professors in dental school provided her with, Phillips has been giving back for many years to both her patients and those young women aspiring to do what she has done so well for decades.