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MWL Spotlight By Lisa Brabbit (Lisa is the Assistant Dean for External Relations and Programs at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. She served as 2001-2002 MWL President, and currently serves on the MWL Advisory Board) To lead people,
walk beside them . . . . As for the best leaders, the people do not notice
their existence. Deb exemplifies a “best leader” as described by Lao-tsu. In her seventh year as Executive Director of Minnesota Women Lawyers, Deb supports and empowers 1,200 diverse members, creating collaboration and respect for personal values so that lawyers can attain inspirational goals, provide better service to community, and live well-balanced lives. While she avoids center stage, she is a model of excellence and service in a perennially high-performing organization. It is an honor to spotlight such a wonderful person and asset to MWL. A Minnesota Woman Extended family members were an integral part of her community. “Grandma[1] and Grandpa Pexa lived across the field and across two more fields were my aunt and uncle and their five children. My other grandparents lived in town, two miles away. [My siblings and cousins and I] climbed in the hay lofts, had water fights, played with new kittens, ran in the woods…it was every kid’s dream.” Deb’s family had dreams for her too and college was one of them. Deb would be the second member of her entire extended family to attend college. Selecting a college that supported her goals and values was important, so she was both intentional and reflective about the process. The College of St. Benedict, an all-women’s liberal arts college located in St. Joseph, Minnesota proved to be an outstanding choice. A Professional Journey
for the Advancement of Women
Her professional journey began in Alaska - - and if the show Northern Exposure comes to mind, the image is accurate. She waitressed during the day to pay the school loans and fulfilled her calling as a night advocate at the Women’s Resource and Crisis Center in Kenai, Alaska. Deb assisted women and children as they navigated the emotional and physical obstacles associated with domestic violence. Waitressing soon went by the wayside as Deb transitioned to child advocate and ultimately manager of the shelter. She later moved to Valdez and continued to work with victims of domestic violence, providing service and leadership to a nonprofit that served a 300 mile-wide area, encompassing 16 communities. After five years in Alaska, Deb returned to Minnesota and attended Minnesota State University at Mankato, one of the only schools in the country at that time to offer a masters degree in women’s studies. She completed the coursework in 18 months and finished her thesis off-site a short time later. Following her coursework, she returned to Alaska and continued her mission to end violence against women. She accepted the position of Executive Director with her prior employer, Advocates for Victims of Violence in Valdez and managed a staff of 12 employees. Deb describes the experience as both “phenomenal” and her “greatest challenge.” She found herself asking questions such as: “How do you best help a victim living on an island with no transportation to safety? And what if the victim’s abuser is related to the Village Safety Officer?” When she wasn’t providing counsel and service to women in need, Deb was advancing the goal of building a new shelter, a major undertaking for a nonprofit in Alaska. She wrote grants, served as the primary fundraiser, architect assistant and on-site general for the new building. During her three-year tenure, she oversaw the building project from start to finish, a project universally hailed as a success. Alaska has other fond memories for Deb. She met Ray Cox[2], the head chef at the restaurant where she was the head waitress, and was instantly attracted to him. When asked about the first date, she laughs and says: “It was hard to have a date when you don’t have a car and the nearest restaurant, the one you don’t work at, is 50 miles away.” When Deb and Ray were in Valdez, Alaska, the unexpected death of a family member caused Deb to rethink the distance between her calling and her family. She decided to bridge the gap and Ray agreed to make Minnesota home. Minnesota Women Lawyers Even though Deb was new to the community of Minnesota lawyers, it did not take her long to build a network of trusting and loyal relationships with a variety of stakeholders. Deb does not talk about MWL without highlighting “an incredible group of volunteers who give so much to the organization and to the Minnesota community.” The strong network of friendship and commitment to mission feeds her soul. Without missing a beat she says, “It’s what keeps me coming back every day.” She also recalls with fondness several notable events that have left an indelible impression on her both personally and professionally. The current “I am MWL” campaign and its related initiatives and projects is an exciting new venture that Deb finds both rewarding and challenging. Also at the top of the list Deb notes MWL’s twenty-ninth Annual Meeting featuring United State Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in the summer of 2001. Another is the Midwest Regional Conference for Women in the Law. All of these events highlight Deb’s incredible skill at consensus building, organizational leadership, and attention to detail. The numbers alone for the Midwest Conference tell a story about Deb: 690 annual meeting attendees; 320 conference attendees, 138 public relations contacts, 72 speakers/panelists, 55 active MWL volunteers, 34 sponsors, 15 states, 9 steering committee co-chairs, 7 draft budgets, 6 sub-committees, 3 days of activities, 3 keynote speakers, 2 years of planning, and 1 full-time employee of MWL - - Deb. An evaluation comment best summarized the event: “You did us proud, MWL!” Her unrelenting dedication (and perhaps stress) was not without a cost, though. Two days after the Midwest Conference, Deb was dealing with a different group of professionals. Obstetricians and midwives ordered bed rest as a result of preterm labor.[3] Three weeks later, Deb and Ray welcomed Harland Ray Cox V (Henry), a healthy baby boy born at 35 weeks.[4] With the title “working mom,” Deb appreciates the flexibility MWL offers her. Her responsibilities often keep her from home in the evenings and the commute from New Prague[5] is long. She is thankful for the opportunity to work from her home office once or twice a week. Deb, Ray and Henry have big news to share for 2007. In March, a baby girl will bring new blessings to their family. Henry, now two and a half, is looking forward to being the big brother in a few months. MWL is incredibly fortunate to have Deb. She keeps the organization on a trajectory of greatness and provides the opportunity for all who work with her to experience a “we did it ourselves” moment.
[1] Grandma Pexa was a poster child for social capital. She understood the power of networks and organizational behavior. No special occasion was necessary for a host of family members to gather in Grandma Pexa’s kitchen on a random Saturday to make Czech pastries (over 20,000 dozen Kolatchy in total during her lifetime). We now have some insight into Deb’s ability to achieve success through her outstanding relationships with and respect from other people - - in part it’s a gene from Grandma Pexa. [2] Deb and Ray married in the fall of 2000. Justice Paul Anderson officiated the wedding. [3] For those 55 volunteers who would like to join the “moving beyond guilt” support group we still meet every Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. [4] Three weeks after Henry was born, Deb led MWL through an IRS audit, by telephone of course. [5] Deb and Ray built a home close to grandparents, parents, siblings and cousins. The look forward to watching their children cross a field to see cousins, play in the hay loft, have a water fight and wonder at the birth of the kittens in the barn. ----------------------------------------------- |
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