Lessons in Equality from CAI’s Women Leaders 

Despite much progress, women still face challenges in feeling valued, respected, recognized, and promoted in the workplace. Women continue to face barriers at the beginning of the corporate pipeline. According to a recent report from McKinsey & Company, women remain less likely than men to be hired into entry-level roles, which leaves them underrepresented from the start. Then, women are far less likely than men to attain their very first promotion to a manager role—a situation that’s not improving. In 2018, for every 100 men who received their first promotion to manager in 2018, 79 women were promoted; this year, just 81 women were. 

International Women’s Day honors the accomplishments of women as they’ve fought to overcome biases to grow in their professional careers and take up leadership roles — and help other women do the same.  

Women leaders have been an important part of CAI since its founding in 1973. The organization’s first president was May Russell, and eleven other women have led CAI over its first 50 years. Melissa Ramsey, CMCA, AMS, LSM, PCAM, currently serves as president of the CAI Board of Trustees. 

“Even from a young age, I knew I had to help guide and move things forward in the right direction. That’s especially true in community associations because we are servant leaders and we need to have the strength and the courage to be that person, whether you’re a board president or a community manager,” said Jessica Towles-Gottschalk, AMS, PCAM, a CAI past president, and director of community experience and resident support at Sterling Ranch Community Authority Board in Littleton, Colo. 

Suzanne Mark, a homeowner at Saw Creek Estates Community Association in East Stroudsburg, Pa., and a member of CAI’s Homeowner Leaders Council, told a story about how when she first moved to her community, none of the women ran for seats on the association’s board. That led her to step up and motivate other women to run for leadership positions. 

“Now, we have a woman as president of our board, and four of the nine members are women. Things can change, but we have to give women the courage to stand up,” to make it happen, she emphasized. 

Cynthia Jones, an attorney with Sellers, Ayers, Dortch and Lyons in Charlotte, N.C., and a fellow in CAI’s College of Community Association Lawyers, believes that women in leadership have a responsibility to think about the words they use when describing another woman’s attributes or personality. “What we say to others really matters,” Jones noted. “Sometimes that first step is so hard, but once I started to stand up and speak, it got easier.” 

Caroline Record, an attorney at Hill Wallack in New Jersey, past president of the Foundation for Community Association Research, and a CCAL fellow, echoed that sentiment. “You have to say something when your sense of righteousness is offended,” she said. “It’s not easy to get people to listen, but we have to be part of the process.” 

“These women are not here by accident. All of them have worked tremendously hard in their careers and within CAI. The way these women lift each other up and lift other women up is an example that we should all follow,” said Dawn Bauman, CAE, CAI’s chief strategy officer.