Alaska women: breaking the glass ceiling: women typically don't make as much as men in the workplace, but there are high achievers who are examples to all working women.

To some people, the term "glass ceiling" is just a vague concept. To many professional women, it's an actual barrier that keeps them from advancing in their careers.

A glass ceiling generally refers to an inconspicuous, unofficial barrier to professional progress. Though invisible, a glass ceiling creates a very real and negative impact on professional women. According to Break the Glass Ceiling Foundation, only about 11 percent of corporate officers are female, and they hold slightly more than 11 percent of board seats in the Fortune 500. Also, women make up less than 2 percent of top wage earners--the five most highly paid officers at Fortune 500 companies--compared to men who make up more than 97 of the highest earners.

The good news is women are making strides in the corporate world. The five Alaska executives profiled in this article are prime examples. They have overcome limiting attitudes and practices to excel within their industry. And they're a mere sampling of the many phenomenal women throughout the state who have converted their challenges into success stories.

Name/Age: Darlene (Dalee) Sambo Dorough, 46

Title/Company: Founder, President and CEO of Yellowknife Construction Inc.

Experience: More than 22 years of experience in administration and management of statewide, national and international entities.

Education: Doctor of Philosophy (in law), Faculty of Law from the University of British Columbia; a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University; and studied justice and political science at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Woman She Admires Most (besides her mother): the late helenka (sic) Brice, a woman who pioneered the role of women in construction more than 40 years ago.

Darlene Dorough thoroughly relishes her work at Yellowknife Construction. The company handles all phases of general contracting, including construction, demolition, utilities, earthwork, design-build and professional services. The bulk of Dorough's duties involve contract management and administration.

The most satisfying aspect of running the business, Dorough says, is creating jobs for young people and putting cash flow back into the community. She also enjoys the contrast between working in construction and the legal field. "It's satisfying to see something concrete and handmade ... to create a good-quality product."

Before starting Yellowknife Construction in 1996, Dorough served as director of Alaska Office and Human Rights Specialist, Indian Law Resource Center, as well as executive director of the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council, International Union for Circumpolar Health and Inuit Circumpolar Conference.

Dorough's expertise lent itself well to the construction industry and provided a firm foundation for her business. "I saw there were other companies out there doing work in construction and, in my view, exploiting people," she says. "We (she and her husband) figured we can do this ourselves and respond to what customers want and do a quality job."

Under her leadership, Yellowknife Construction generated $5.2 million in contract revenue for 2005. Recently, the company received a major contract for $4.2 million with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Working in a male-dominated industry, Dorough often experiences glass-ceiling attitudes. When she's visiting a construction site, people often assume she's not the person in charge of the job. "Construction is one of those fields where women have made some inroads, but by and large, we have only put a few cracks in the glass ceiling."

Dorough says two major factors in her success have been learning the trade and treating her subcontractors and employees right. She says: "I reward them, say thank you and make sure they are compensated well."

Being firm, professional and honest are also important traits to Dorough. Keeping your word to employees, clients and subcontractors is essential. "If you make a promise, you've got to hold true to that," Dorough says.

Name/Age: Betsy Lawer, 56

Title/Company: Vice Chair and CEO of First National Bank Alaska.

Experience: Thirty-five years of banking experience in commercial lending, investor loan production, bank operations, electronic data processing, marketing and loan documentation.

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Duke University.

Woman She Admires Most (besides her mother): Her sisters for their tremendous support; Jo Michalski of Classic Woman for her business acumen: and FNBA SVP Sue Foley for her intuitive sense of people and what she's accomplished in life.

Betsy Lawer grew up in the banking business--literally. A third-generation banker, she always knew she would work in the family business. Making Saturday morning business calls with her father, Dan Cuddy, sparked her interested. "We would get to hear all the old stories and what was going on," she recalls. "We generally ended up at Peggy's Cafe out by the airport."

Lawer's first job in the bank was filling in for her father's secretary during summers. Today, she is responsible for 28 branches statewide for Alaska's largest Alaskan-owned and -operated bank, which was started in 1922.

As second-in-command, Lawer views her position as a supportive role. "I am blessed to work with a lot of really wonderful people," she says. "My job is to make sure they have the tools to be successful in their jobs."

Lawer handles a wide range of issues, which is what she really enjoys about her work. "One day I may be dealing with a computer mainframe problem deliver services," she explains. "The next day I may be talking to someone who has a great idea for a small business, but needs capital."

Lawer has been recognized as a U.S. Banker 25 Women to Watch, 2003, and among the Top 25 Most Powerful People in Alaska for 1999-2003. She also has served as the director and audit committee member of the Seattle Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. A 2001 Athena Award recipient, Lawer has been named Marquis' Who's Who in the World, Who's Who of American Women, Who's Who in Finance & Business and Who's Who in America.

Interestingly, Lawer doesn't view her life as being more successful than anyone else's. She attributes her accomplishments to simply being persistent and focused on her goals. As a general strategy for success, Lawer advises women to work hard and be true to themselves. "Follow your instincts because they're generally correct," she says. "Be honorable and enjoy what you're doing. If you don't enjoy what you're doing, you won't be successful."

Name/Age: Brenda L. Moser, 57

Title/Company: Vice President Administration, Petro Star Inc.

Experience: A 34-year veteran of Alaska's petroleum refining and distribution industry. Her experience includes corporate management, petroleum products marketing, accounting, finance, mergers and acquisitions.

Education: Bachelor of Business Administration (accounting major), University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Woman She Admires Most (besides her mother): Women who have broken the glass ceiling by achieving non-traditional positions of responsibility. Those individuals. whether single or working mothers, who have proven their capabilities and become presidents and CEOs of small, family businesses or large NYSE corporations. Included in that group of women would also be the adventuresome women from history--the Annie Oakleys and Amelia Earharts--women who were not stereotypes.

Brenda Moser has always enjoyed learning more about the world around her. "When I got into the work world, I always wanted to learn more and more," she said.

That strong sense of curiosity has served her well over the years. She got her start in the petroleum refining business working as an accounting clerk with Tesoro Alaska. Soon Moser was promoted to office manager.

When an operations manager position opened up, she jumped at the chance to fill the slot. Actually, she fought for the opportunity. "I argued that I knew more about the company than this other gentleman who was being considered for the job," she explains.

Moser expanded her role in the industry working at Williams North Pole Refinery--now Flint Hills Resources. She worked there from 1977 to 1981 in a number of positions: assistant marketing manager, transportation/ distribution manager and manager marketing/distribution.

In 1986, Moser embarked on a position with Petro Star Inc. One of the co-founders of Petro Star had met and remembered Moser from a previous job and asked her to join the team. "Alaska is a fantastic place to live and work," Moser says. "But it can be so small that you never want to burn a bridge with anybody you meet because you may be going to work for them some day."

Moser has worked at Petro Star for 19 years. During that time, she's worn many hats, including special projects accountant, controller, vice president finance, vice president marketing, and vice president strategic planning and corporate development. In May 2004, she earned her current title: vice president administration. In this position and the prior one, Moser has mainly focused on special projects, the most recent of which include corporate-wide cost savings and the adoption of policies and procedures of the parent company.

Where Moser's sitting now is a far cry from her work for a chemical company in Texas. When she arrived in Anchorage Oct. 31, 1971, she found Alaska to be a bold, new frontier. In fact, she knew very little about the construction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline or crude oil discovery in Prudhoe Bay. "I think the fact that I got into this career in Alaska provided a lot of opportunity I would not have had if I had stayed in Texas," she recalls. "The fact that Alaska is a young and growing state has helped contribute to my career and personal growth."

Moser's professional growth has al lowed her to achieve a distinction no other woman has. In 2003, she became the first female president of the Petroleum Club of Anchorage. Moser, who served on the board for about 10 years, says she is proud of what she was able to accomplish as president. "The fact that I was a woman didn't interfere with my being able to perform the job," she says. "I can honestly say that I did earn the respect of several men who wouldn't give me the time of day earlier."

Like many women, Moser has had her share of glass-ceiling moments. However, she says, the industry is making positive efforts to promote women outside "nonmale-type" functions like human resources and accounting. Moser's advice to women wanting to break the glass ceiling is simply this: "Always want to do more, and always ask to take on more."

Name/Age: Helvi Sandvik, 48

Title/Company: President of NANA Development Corp.

Experience: Ten years with NANA and more than 12 years with the State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.

Education: Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Alaska Fairbanks: Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Kalamazoo College in Michigan.

Woman She Admires Most (besides her mother): Faith Moyer, who was widowed at a young age, worked hard to provide for her family and never complained; and Oprah Winfrey for holding herself with such dignity and grace, while going forward and achieving.

Helvi Sandvik is originally from the village of Kiana in the NANA region, which makes her work all the more satisfying. As president of NANA Development Corp., she's responsible for ensuring the organization is profitable and improving the lives shareholders. "This is, in essence, an investment tool that our Native owners have, but the income that we will generate for them is making a huge difference in their lives," she says.

NANA is involved in more than 35 subsidiaries or partnerships. Much of Sandvik's duties include setting operating and profit expectations for these businesses and making sure these expectations are met. "I like the variety of things I am able to become involved in," she says. "It's provides me with a pretty dynamic work environment."

Sandvik joined NANA in May 1995 as the vice president of operations and also worked as vice president of resources for the parent company. She had never intended to work for the corporation; her love had always been in aviation and transportation. But she had a great deal of respect for the corporation and president, she says, and felt it was simply the right thing to do. "The beneficiaries of my efforts are people I grew up with and love, and I wanted to make a contribution," Sandvik says.

Fortunately, Sandvik says she's has never felt the limiting impact of a glass ceiling. She was able to rapidly progress working for the State of Alaska, thanks to supervisors who provided her with challenging opportunities. "I really feel I've worked for a variety of people with different management styles, all of whom helped me grow," Sandvik says.

Sandvik is currently on the executive committee of the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce, a trustee for the Aqqaluk Trust and director of the Seattle Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. In 2004, she served as one of seven conferees of the Conference of Alaskans and was inducted into the Athena Society.

Sandvik encourages women who are trying to break the glass ceiling to do the best job they can and know when to move on. "If you find you're in an environment that you feel is holding you back, move into an environment you feel you can progress in," she says.

Name/Age: Mari Wood, 51

Title/Company: Vice President of Arctic Office Products.

Experience: More than 25 years in the office products and supply industry.

Education: Journalism major. San Diego State University.

Woman She Admires Most (besides her mother): Elizabeth Dole for being able to effectively balance her professional, political and personal life.

Mari Wood has been described as a "true renaissance woman. Given her career progression, it's an apt characterization.

Wood joined Arctic Office Products in 1979 as a sales rep in the supply division. After working in sales for about 13 years, she was promoted to manager of the division. And within three years, she had worked herself into the position of company vice president.

Wood's rise to the top is especially impressive because her foray into the industry started as a temporary job. She had come to Alaska only for the summer; she didn't like cold weather. She got a job as a file clerk at the now-defunct Yukon Office Supply and later moved into sales. "I loved the people and opportunity, so I decided to stay," Wood says.

Today, Wood manages more than a million dollars worth of inventory for the company's supply division and supervises more than 36 employees. Her daily responsibilities range from motivating sales staff to crafting programs for business customers. "I never get bored," Wood says. "It's always challenging."

Working in the male-dominated office supply industry has created special challenges for Wood. But she has successfully overcome them by working harder to get recognized and promoted.

She's also had to work on developing a thicker skin. "Women are brought up to want to have everyone like them," she says. "They believe that disagreement somehow equates to dislike, and that's not the case in business. You can't take it personally."

Wood feels it's important for women to present themselves in an assertive, but non-confrontational way. The feminine approach of including everybody's opinion when making decisions, she says, isn't a good model to use in a business environment. "When you have a point or program you want to bring out, you need to present it in a forthright manner and have facts to back up your ideas," Wood explains.

To get ahead in any industry, Wood advises women to effectively prioritize tasks and manage their time. They also need to work smarter and carry through with their commitments. "Forge business relationships built on trust, performance and reliability," she advises.

ADVICE FOR BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING

There are a number of factors that contribute to perpetrating the glass ceiling, according to the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission. They include recruitment practices, lack of opportunity to participate in corporate development and failure of leadership to assume accountability for individuals' advancement.

Here is some practical advice on breaking the glass ceiling from national experts, as well as the women featured in this article:

* Build a track record in a given functional area and establish your credibility.

* Develop leadership skills inside the company.

* Demonstrate effective people management skills.

* Consciously explore other functions.

* Gravitate toward the visible, difficult, strategic tasks.

* Deliver performances with exceptional results.

* Start focusing energy and start taking risks.

* Play the game, but stake out your territory and defend it.

* Consistently exceed performance expectations.