KATIES IN ACTION

Katies in Action A change leader both as a University Trustee and as a lawyer

BY SARAH VOIGT

Margaret Ford ’82, JD, was invited to join the Board of Trustees 12 years ago — during the very same time St. Catherine University was undergoing vast changes. “We were just becoming a University, so we were focused on making sure that the culture and the mission traversed through that whole new system,” says Ford.

Years later, the University welcomed a new president and then launched a campus integration strategy to unite the two campuses. A steady, reassuring voice from the Board of Trustees was needed — and Ford delivered.

“Margaret Ford is everything you could want in a leader,” says ReBecca Koenig Roloff ’76, president of St. Catherine University. “While her tone is gentle and encouraging, her intellect is incisive, her confidence is unwavering. When she makes a decision, it is thoughtful and she sticks with it. She leads and influences with wisdom, compassion, and a sparkle uniquely her own. I treasure her and all she does for St. Kate’s.”

Ford credits her St. Kate’s education with helping her find her voice and path. “We were encouraged to have an opinion in every class we took and be okay with being the first one to talk about something,” Ford recalls. She says that claiming your space as an informed individual was, and still is, a valuable part of a St. Kate’s education.

As her graduation approached, Ford knew she wanted to continue developing her skills as an English major in a way that would also benefit others. She decided to pursue a law degree. “Part of the law school culture is to see how students function under stress. Thanks to my St. Kate’s education, I was well prepared for that. I had found my voice, was encouraged to express myself and stand behind what I was saying,” Ford explains.

“I think it is Margaret’s rare combination of high intelligence and emotional awareness of others that has led to her successful leadership and client representation in the law practice,” says Doug Shiell, founder and partner at Smith Gendler Shiell Sheff Ford & Maher, where Margaret has practiced law for more than 30 years. “This skill set allows her to solve complex problems and deal effectively with difficult people. In addition, she is genuinely patient, courteous, and respectful of others while disagreeing with them — an example in conflict resolution other leaders today would do well to follow.”

Ford’s approach to each case begins not with a focus on the problems, but by defining the most desirable solution. “There are no winners and losers in the search for an answer,” she explains. By zeroing in on the common cause, it becomes easier to collaborate and ultimately find greater success. “You don’t want to diminish the other person.”

Ford puts those same skills to work as Board Chair. “We don’t have a system in a vacuum. The whole success of any group, especially a learning community, is based on our constantly learning together. St. Kate’s is such a strong place for women to excel, and everyone here works hard to make sure we’re a space to support students during their time at St. Kate’s and when they are out in the world.”

“There are no winners and losers in the search for an answer.

–MARGARET FORD ’82, JD