Pavion Women’s History Month (Ep. 6)
To wrap up Pavion’s Women’s History Month mini-series, we are looking back at the celebration of Pavion’s women employees and looking forward to our bright future with guests Susan Post, Pavion Chief Strategy and Integration Officer, and Silvi Hernandez, Pavion Chief Financial Officer.
There’s so much to celebrate with women’s history month, and also personally for both Susan and Silvi as they shared insight into being a woman in the workplace in a field that historically did not have many women in leadership.
Looking back on the series and the episodes Silvi participated in, she was asked about her initial thoughts on being here today. To sum it up in one word, she identified her initial thought was progress. Silvi said, “Progress demonstrated by the fact that I’m a female and of Latin heritage, and CFO of this amazing organization, and the journey we have been on.”
When asked for Susan’s thoughts on where women are today in the industry, she said, “I think it’s great in what we’ve seen and heard over the series in just how each individual contributes, and it is about progress, Silvi hit the nail on the head.”
“We all show up every day, we all have a voice, we care about what we do, we all care about each other and promoting from within,” said Susan.
Talking about how important women’s voices are, the creation of this Pavion mini-series, and being able to look back, Susan said, “We know from our infrastructure we have strong women in this organization, and this industry is sprinkled with a number of very talented women doing extraordinary things. Going forward it’s really about recognizing those individuals.”
It’s really about leaning in, asking for what you want, and paving your own path, according to Susan and Silvi.
“It’s not just females in what some would more traditional back-office roles, but we have female installation managers, female service managers, project managers. These are exciting roles that women can be very, very successful in and we’re excited to see that grow within our organization and in the industry,” Silvi said.
Reflecting on who was a motivating factor in their lives, Susan said looking back there hasn’t been just one person. She explains, “It’s always been around work ethic, approachability. It’s been about contributing and how someone carries themselves.”
Silvi also reflected on multiple people being motivating factors in her life. She said, “It wasn’t just the females, there are many male leaders that absolutely mentored me, invested in me. They saw my potential, and I do feel that both the women and the men leaders in my past experience, have absolutely enabled me to be able to grow in the organization.”
The fact that men and women have differences in this industry is something that makes everything work together. Different perceptions and personality differences are okay. “I think what Susan and I have learned to do as we continue to grow in our industry is accept. Accept that change and differences are okay, and that’s why change and diversity works,” Silvi said.
When asked about what these extraordinary women hope others take away from this Pavion mini-series, Susan said, “I’d like to do more, I’d like folks to realize that there is a path forward, it’s through grit, hard work, and relationships. Silvi and I in a meeting are a force to be reckoned with. It’s about having fun.”
Silvi went on to explain, “The fact that the payback is there, that we’re able to be a voice at the table, to hold key leadership positions, to really understand the responsibility we carry in our roles, and that we are ultimately looking for the well-being of the organization and all of our employees. It’s truly a moment of pride for both of us I believe.”
