Amy Mansue didn’t spend her time at the podium last Thursday night at the Women of Inspiration event talking about her own career. She used the woman her award is named for to make a point about the women in the room.
Mansue, the retiring CEO of Inspira Health Network, received the Alice H. Parker Outstanding Woman of Inspiration Award at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce’s reception at the National Conference Center in East Windsor.
And she made sure the 200 or so that were there got a history lesson.
Parker, a Black woman living in Morris County, got fed up with shoveling coal to heat her home, Mansue explained. So, in 1919, she received a patent for a heating system that laid the groundwork for the way most homes are heated today.
Mansue said plenty of women in the room have done the same thing.
“Alice took her frustration, much like many of us have done in this room, and we didn’t just wring our hands about what we were going to do,” she said. “We figured out how to get it done.
“Alice Parker wasn’t deterred. Let’s not be deterred.”
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The numbers say there’s still plenty to get done.
Gil Medina, chair of the NJ Chamber and executive vice president at CBRE, opened the evening with a reminder.
“Even today, full-time working women earn 82% of men’s median earnings, and women occupy 29% of C-suite roles,” he said. “The issue is not simply one of fairness; it is about making full use of our nation’s talent, intelligence and leadership.”
Mansue, who has spent four decades in New Jersey health care, said her retirement at the end of the year won’t take her out of that fight.
“We all love New Jersey,” she said. “We got to make sure we are in it to make it better. And maybe I don’t need a title to play that role anymore.”
Tom Bracken, CEO of the NJ Chamber, put it plainly earlier in the evening.
“We are losing an icon in New Jersey,” he said.
Mansue’s biggest ask was simple. When someone believes in you enough to tap you on the shoulder, she said, you should believe in yourself, too.
“When someone taps you on the shoulder and says, ‘I can see you in this role,’ say yes,” she said. “Nobody is going to risk taking that unless they really saw you, and they’re not going to leave you out there to try.
“So, take that risk, because here’s what I can tell you: Men take it every single day. They never have a hesitation. They never have a doubt in their mind. They are like, ‘I can do that,’ even when they absolutely cannot do it. But they do it anyway.
“Take the risk. You will not fail.”
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The night was about inspiration, perspective — and a bit of comedy.
Nine other honorees delivered it all:
Kellie Doucette, Chief Operating Officer, Office of Gov. Mikie Sherrill: The state’s first COO said the job grew out of the company visits she arranged for Sherrill during her years in Congress. Sherrill asked every business the same three questions. “Why are you here? What’s keeping you here? And what are the challenges that you’re facing, or the things that would make you leave?” Doucette said she’s still asking. “I always ask for brutal honesty on that one.”
Michele Siekerka, CEO, New Jersey Business & Industry Association: Siekerka pushed back on talk of corporate greed. “These are the job creators,” she said. “These are people who are making livelihoods possible for their workforce.”
Liat Krawczyk, Executive Director, New Jersey AI Hub: Krawczyk brought the numbers. “Today, women represent about 30% of AI talent globally and 12% of AI researchers.” She added that the outcome isn’t settled: “The future of AI, however, is not predetermined.”
Aiysha “A.J.” Johnson, CEO and Executive Director, NJCPA: It was Johnson’s second award in two nights; Executive Women of New Jersey honored her the evening before. She used her time to make the case for her profession. “Accounting is not just about record keeping and a reflection into the past,” she said. “It’s really about looking forward as a profession, serving as trusted advisors to keep businesses strong and make our communities better.”
Heather Staples, EVP of Enterprise Operations, Business and Technology Solutions and Chief Information Officer, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey: Horizon is now helping nonprofits get ready for AI. Staples said the company is “providing artificial intelligence training and governance skills, so that not-for-profits in the community can continue to thrive.” She also made the room an offer. “If you have claims problems, certainly come see me at the end of the evening, and I will help to resolve those for you,” she said.
Debbie Hart, CEO, BioNJ: Hart says she has been rallying people behind causes her whole life. It started in grade school, when she got the girls in the schoolyard to stump for Richard Nixon. “What did I know? All I knew is we were jumping up and down and yelling his name.” Hart said she got called to the principal’s office “for inciting somewhat of a riot” and says she got more selective with her causes over time. Then came cheerleading in grade school, at Hamilton West and at Trenton State College. “I had a bullhorn and a rallying cry. So there seems to be a theme here.” In graduate school, she was the advisor on a freshman dorm floor during the building Olympics. “I rallied the hell out of those 56 freshman troops. We didn’t win anything, but it was a lot of fun.”
Running an association, she said, was the natural next step.
Eileen Mannion, Vice President, Public Policy — State & Local Government Affairs, Verizon: Mannion is the youngest of five in an Irish Catholic family. She said she learned to advocate by fighting for airtime at dinner, and that she “got the advocacy award for the Mannion family dinner table.” The Monmouth County resident also settled a statewide debate: “Central Jersey exists.”
Joanna Gagis, Communications Director, New Jersey Turnpike Authority: Gagis lost her job as an NJ Spotlight News anchor when the station changed hands. She was “one week and two days” into her new role, a turn Bracken called “misfortune turned into fortune.” She said she took a different route than the one her mother had in mind. “My mom told me I should be a lawyer because I love to argue, but instead I went into journalism. I get to argue a little bit.”
Fatema Raza, Partner, Withum: She came to the podium as the night’s rising star. As the youngest honoree, she won the Young Professional Award. Her advice, though, sounded like it came from someone who already knows exactly what women face in the workplace and what they can do about it. Raza, who leads the firm’s national real estate practice, was at its partner retreat in Palm Beach until 3:30 that afternoon, then flew home and came straight to the dinner. She told the room that women have to be part of the conversation. “We’ve got to be in the room. We’ve got to be part of the discussion.”
