Frostburg’s Office of Civic Engagement Holds Women in Public Service Panel

A Conversation With Women in Public Service was a successful event sponsored by the Frostburg Office of Civic Engagement, The J. Glenn Beall Institute for Public Affairs, Leadership Studies Program, and Frostburg’s Women’s Studies Program. The first half, a panel portion for introductions and general questions, was mediated by Delanie Blubaugh and consisted of five guest speakers Elizabeth Stahlman, Judy Carbone, McKenna Booker, Regan Riley, and Deb Frank, all of whom serve in public service and are pillars in their respective communities. 

The event was open to the public, including all Frostburg students. Despite the event being marketed toward women, men were also encouraged to join and participate because, as Dr. Andorfer recognized, there “…has been progress but more progress is still needed” and male advocacy is required for that progress to take place. There were very few men in attendance. Dr. Andorfer made the opening remarks in welcoming everyone, then ended with a quote from the seven-year-old granddaughter of Madeleine Albright who asked “what is the big deal about granny Maddy being Secretary of State?” Andorfer then explained that Albright’s granddaughter had only seen women in the role of Secretary of State, leaving her to believe it was only ever filled by women and a position only women could hold. Andorfer then posed a question to the audience, what is keeping us from viewing the world through the eyes of a child when discussing women’s roles in public service?

All women gave a brief description of who they were, what they did, and how they got involved with public service. The event was meant to inspire and advise but also a chance to learn about the different opportunities to become involved in public service, such as through the Emerge program that seeks to guide women through the process of campaigning. More information can be found through emerge.org, as stated by the esteemed Judy Carbone, who also wanted it known that the deadline to file to run for office is the 18th of this month, should anyone be interested in utilizing the counseling services of Emerge. The panelists were as follows:

Judy Carbone, a member of the Garrett County Democratic Central Committee. She has been in public service her whole life. Her parents believed in getting involved and making a difference in the community, such values have been instilled in her which is why she strongly believes in civic engagement for everyone, even citizens. She also believes in volunteerism and stepping up to run for office when you can, no matter the position. She heavily emphasized the need to play a part to better support the communities in which we live in. Having empathy, seeing a problem and doing something about it, also stepping up, are all values Carbone believes everyone should have. She mentioned, “Empowered women empower women”, which was one of the most repeated quotes of the event. Carbone advised the audience to be open to mistakes, take advantage of opportunities, seek mentors and find answers along the way. 

Elizabeth Stahlman, the City Administrator for the City of Frostburg, who found herself in public service although she did not think she would ever be in one. Stahlman first wanted to work for USDA (U.S Department of Agriculture) but quickly discovered the economic side was not interesting and was more into science. After taking a weekend trip, she discovered an agriculture program at Garrett College which she ended up receiving Associate degree in but learned that animal byproducts and manure was not for her either. Stahlman moved on and later discovered Geographic Information Systems, she felt she was making quite a notable difference by bringing technology into the community. Stahlman now works on community mapping and permits working alongside business leaders which sparked her passion in being a public servant. She enjoys listening to other people’s opinions, finding solutions and serving the community. Stahlman mentioned she believes in “leading like a woman”, to bring empathy, understanding, support and less temper into an administrative role. 

Deb Frank, a member of Allegany County Board of Education and an assistant professor in Allegany College of Maryland. Frank did not know anyone in town and decided to join the Nursing Board of Directors in which she met more people. She noticed a few pieces missing, especially with mental health services for students. She found out that psychologists could only test and not treat and she witnessed students who struggled with mental health issues. Frank was elected to public service and felt she could make the most impact by making her campaign promise to add more mental health counselors and social worker services. She said, “It doesn’t have to be an elected position, start joining groups you feel can make a difference in”, she also advised others to find a need and try to fill it and a way she did that was through asking questions. 

McKenna Booker, who graduated with a B.A in Criminal Justice and was eager to go into Juvenile Probation but somehow found herself in public service. After graduation, Booker worked odd jobs such as coaching a softball league and social work for disabled individuals. She also served on COAT, a program to help combat addiction. Booker now serves as the Program Management Specialist at Frostburg States Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She intends to advocate for marginalized groups and students on campus, bringing awareness on what diversity and advocacy is and learning to communicate and help. Booker demonstrated her eagerness to help with inclusion by including and recognizing some women that were in the room that day, she shouted out the women on the Strutters Dance Teams, the women from the Muslim Student Association and the women athletes in the room. Booker is kind spirited in all she does and strongly believes in being true to self and giving yourself grace. Booker ended her introduction with, “Be kind, lead with love and grace”. 

Regan Riley, who is currently serving as Acting Director of Constituent Services for the Office of Congressman David Trone (MD-06). Riley found herself in public service during her internship for Congressman John Delaney. She mentioned having no experience and feeling like she did not fit in because it was not her area of study, but with time she became more comfortable. Riley graduated from Frostburg State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Philosophy and an Associate of Arts from Howard Community College in Philosophy and Religious Studies. She highlighted the validity of imposter syndrome and ways to overcome it. One thing Riley stands for and gets furious about is to never put yourself down, she makes it clear to her interns to never use words such as stupid to describe themselves and to never display that to others. 

When it came to the second portion of the event, the audience was allowed to ask questions and have them answered by the guest speakers. The first question had to do with how women are meant to handle themselves professionally in the face of adversity. Elizabeth Stahlman was the first to respond, stating that everyone should recognize the limits of their position and focus on presenting facts rather than having the final say. Judy Carbone joined in, answering by adding that we as a community should be focused on finding common ground with opposition, we only move forward with minimum polarization.

The second question was what to do when we make public decisions that have effects other than what we intended. How do we heal when we do wrong and do it publicly? McKenna Booker was quick to answer with a simple statement, “accountability and honesty. We’re all going to make mistakes, you don’t get to be great without a mistake. The bigger the mistake, the bigger power that you need to fix it… just own up to it, and [most importantly], be willing to fix it.”

The third question posed was how to handle doubt and imposter syndrome in their every day lives. Deb Frank answered, stating that she “…went down so many paths because [she] never felt like [she] was in the right one….” and that at some point, she “…felt so angry and doubtful, like [she] was setting [herself] up for failure.” Her advice for young ladies feeling this way is to never shrink away from not knowing, in her own words “a good leader says ‘I don’t know, but let me find the answer’, a bad leader makes something up.” She also considered the importance of not measuring your worth by the reaction of the people in the stands and a “if not me, then who?” attitude. Regan Riley then added to this by telling the audience that when her interns don’t know, it’s not their stupidity, it’s that she, as an instructor, needs to find another approach. The subject of mentors was a recurring theme throughout the event, with each speaker talking of their own guides who taught them how to battle feeling like an imposter and to shrug off the reactions of others, as well as how to navigate the next steps forward.

Next, a member from the audience asked the panelists what qualities they think makes a good leader. Judy Carbone responded that a good leader is a servant, someone who is amongst their team and works with them rather than above them. McKenna Booker added to this knowledge with a moving quote from an African proverb, “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” to frame her sentiment that a leader is “one of many, who does not boast, and does what needs to be done.”

Following the fourth question, an audience member asked what the difference between working in an urban or rural community was like, if there was a difference between a small team and large one. Regan was the first to answer this, stating that because urban and rural communities have such different priorities, it is good practice in discerning an approach that benefits everyone. Elizabeth agreed with this, bringing up the importance of reaching across the aisle so that communities may move forward rather than be tossed left to right. This feeling was shared with the other leaders on the panel, amongst whom was Judy and Deb, who shared similar statements that it is advisable to start small if one is considering a career in public service. Small communities where everyone knows one another is practice in accountability, listening, planning, and most importantly – networking.

The last question of the evening was for advice on how to network. The audience chuckled as McKenna stated that it’s wise to update your LinkedIn as often as you update your favorite social media platform, considering that it’s “old people Facebook” to most. To further this point, she said that it is good practice and you never know where an opportunity might come from. She also stressed the importance of being kind, not only to ourselves but to others as well. Elizabeth and Riley both shared this, then proceeded to further the explanation that you never know who you may need in the future, some of the panelists had to make calls to people they met as an intern.

As the evening concluded, the audience was left inspired. The space was an opportunity to bridge the gap between what young ladies in university are dreaming of and what women in public service are living. With the highlighted need for a mentor and being kind, the mingling and partaking in snacks following the Question and Answer portion allowed for a unique chance for the themes and comradery built during the panel to be utilized. These incredible women said that leaders stand beside their teams, listened, and shared… and that is precisely what they did, with grace and strength.