North Bay Woman

24 NORTH BAY WOMAN | F A L L 2 0 1 9 W hat can I possibly share with this cohort that you all probably don't already know? My story! My sophomore year, Mr. Stein- hauser, the theater teacher, encouraged me to try out for a play and I was cast in the part of a singing dentist. After the performance, everyone suggest- ed that I become a dentist. I think they heard my singing and knew there was no future in theater. So, I went to college as a pre-dentistry major. But I found out there wouldn't be any opportunities to sing, so I had a change of heart and began to look for a new major. During that time, I took my first accounting class and got an A. My teacher, Debra Hopkins, spent time with me and encouraged me to try accounting because she thought I had an aptitude. She had a big influence on me. Debra taught me the value of having a mentor. It's important to have someone in your corner who is there to counsel, encourage and sup- port. Soon it was time to graduate and look for a job. I learned that when you interviewed for a job, they would take you out for a nice lunch as part of the interview process. Being a starving college student, I signed up for 11 interviews because I figured that would be 11 free lunches. I ended up with 11 job offers and a tough choice. I eventually narrowed it to two options and then flipped a coin. Heads equaled Ernst and Young. Ernst and Young was my first grown-up job. New blue suit, train to the Sears tower – the whole package. I was young and full of my own invincibility. Shortly after starting, I was sent to my first audit, a small regional bank. After the first day, the manager of the engagement announced he was quitting, and the senior staff would now be leading the job. Her name was Bethany and we were polar opposites. As the job went on she became mean and belligerent to me. I hated her, and I hated the job. I started to wonder if I had made the wrong choice. It wasn't until years later, on reflection, that I realized how much I had done to cause the angst between us. Bethany was newly married, trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant and running an engagement that she wasn't prepared for. On top Steve Fox, chief financial officer of San Rafael-based EO Products, delivered this address about women serving as his mentors, to the 2019 San Rafael Chamber of Commerce Lead- ership Institute in May. He is a 2015 graduate of the institute. It has been edited for space. Connections are incredible gifts that we don't always recognize at the time W M y Mentors Women served as

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