Eileen McDonnell, the Chairman & CEO of Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, discusses her Irish heritage, breaking the glass ceiling, and the way forward.
When parents tell their children that they can do anything, it’s all too often taken with too many grains of salt. But Eileen McDonnell believed her parents. She had no reason not to. And it served her well. When she was applying for a vice president job, a position held by no other women in the company, she brushed off people citing her gender as a reason she wouldn’t get it, telling them that it was irrelevant. They may as well have been saying she was unqualified because she had had chicken for dinner the night before. She knew she could do the job, and that was the only qualification that mattered.
my young life growing up in chicago on the south side. when i was 13, walter cronkite was my idol and i wanted to be like him. how did i get from the south side to a career of more than 40 years? but one way you convince our young men, be they black, be they white, brown, is that what our guest in atlanta said, the gardeners. you convince them that the gardeners this president is not only commander in chief, but i think of him as also national morale officer for all americans. there are people in the trenches right now, coaches, teachers, professors, community leaders, this speech today will so energize them. that will radiate across this great land to convince these young people that the people in the trenches, the gardeners do
be in good spirits. well, while the u.s. military has now left iraq, tens of thousands of american service members remain in afghanistan for the tenth christmas in a row. the holiday was able to make its presence known among them so far from home. merry christmas! reporter: tonisha starts off christmas at camp acres as she does every day, reaching out to her home. a mother and a wife, she knows the pain of being this far away, especially at this time of year. it s her job to make things better as a morale officer. she helps them fight depression and alleviate stress. we are here to do a job, but in order to do it effectively and productively, you have to have a peace of mind. reporter: she reminds troops that folks back home care, handing out goodies sent by grateful americans. and she sets up special events like this jingle bells race,
unblock a clogged artery. he got a visit from princes william and harry and is said to be in good spirits. well, while the u.s. military has now left iraq, tens of thousands of american service members remain in afghanistan for the tenth christmas in a row. nbc s kiko at sack shows us how they were able to make its presence known among them so far from home. merry christmas! reporter: tonisha starts off christmas at camp eggers as she does every day, reaching out to her home in virginia. bye! reporter: a mother and a wife, she knows the pain of being this far away, especially at this time of year. it s her job to make things better as a morale officer. she helps them fight depression and alleviate stress. we are here to do a job, but in order to do it effectively and productively, you have to have a peace of mind. reporter: she reminds troops that folks back home care, handing out goodies sent by grateful americans. good morning, everybody! reporter: and she sets up