Wonder women: these savvy sisters are facing formidable challenges in male-dominated professions - and winning.

These savvy sisters are facing formidable challenges in male-dominated professions--and winning.

It was a Sunday afternoon last winter and snow was falling steadily as Shirley DeLibero cooked a pot roast dinner and looked warily outside her window. New Jersey had already been battered by a series of storms so she knew the drill by heart. The weather forecaster had barely gotten out the words "winter storm watch" before DeLibero, executive director of New Jersey Transit, grabbed her half-done dinner and was out the door.

She didn't come home for three days. Holed up in her downtown Newark office, DeLibero and her staff rerouted trains and briefed maintenance personnel and department heads, tirelessly working to keep the trains running in the midst of a paralyzing storm. Their diligence paid off: While some 30 inches of snow descended on New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, NJ Transit was the only passenger rail transportation system in the area that didn't dose down. For DeLibero, this emergency was not unique: as the head of the third largest transit system in the country, she often finds her job making unannounced intrusions on her personal life.

DeLibero is just one of a growing number of African American women who now find themselves thrust into management roles in male-dominated fields. They have excelled by challenging tradition, climbing the professional ladder in public service, government and technology, among other professions once closed to women.

BLACK ENTERPRISE profiles three women in leadership roles, including DeLibero. Atlanta police chief Beverly Harvard controls law and order in one of the more dynamic cities in the country, while Gloria Jeff, associate administrator for policy at the Federal Highway Administration, strategizes highway placement all across the country.

These three women share a number of common traits beyond race and gender: aggressiveness, creativity and confidence. And all have leadership abilities that have helped them overcome obstacles of both race and sex to become leaders in their respective fields.

ON THE EXPRESS TRACK

DeLibero got her start in transit in 1978, after spending 19 years working in the electronics industry. Her first job in transit was as production manager for the reconstruction of trolley cars for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston. From Boston to Washington, D.C., to Dallas, DeLibero spent the next 12 years learning all sides of the transit business. By the time she was offered the helm in New Jersey in 1990, she had gained experience managing bus and light- and heavy-rail transit systems. At the time she accepted the job, she became the highest ranking African American woman in public transportation.

She had her work cut out for her, inheriting a system plagued by annual fare hikes, frequently late trains and poor maintenance. But when DeLibero took the post, she pushed through several long-stalled projects, like the implementation of several suburban train lines. She also addressed specific customer complaints, such as service delays, which were caused, in part, by increased maintenance. As a result, train and bus ridership increased by more than 14%, customer complaints went down 40% and the system's overall favorable ratings rose 18% from September 1990 through April 1995.

DeLibero has also been cost-conscious. Fares haven't increased since she came on board despite budget cuts, largely because creative financing techniques brought money into the department. For example, cross-border leasing, the renting of utilities and vehicles to overseas companies that operate in the U.S., has netted some $51 million for NJ Transit over the past five years. Under her watch, the department also implemented the nation's first interactive bus simulator to expose trainees to the rigors of operating a transit vehicle in a real-life environment. The system has helped save thousands in training costs and could ultimately generate additional revenue as DeLibero contracts the bus simulator out to other transit agencies. She's also decreased expenses by $800,000 annually through the installation of energy efficient lighting at major rail and bus terminals.

Her work hasn't gone unacknowledged by industry insiders. The agency has won a host of honors in the last few years, including an award for best transit authority in 1994 and 1996 from the American Public Transportation Association. The 59-year-old DeLibero recently received the lifetime achievement award from the same organization--the highest professional honor in the industry.

Those dose to DeLibero say her work ethic and willingness to delegate are key to her ability to turn around an agency with a $1.5 billion budget and 9,000 employees. "Shirley is a director who relies on her support staff," says Fran Hooper, assistant executive director of external affairs at NJ Transit. "She doesn't undercut people. She empowers them to make decisions. But she is a hands-on manager and wants to know exactly what's going on and why."

DeLibero says she likes "to manage by wandering around. I don't think there are too many operators, mechanics or train conductors who don't know me and aren't comfortable enough to approach me." Even adversaries give DeLibero some credit with helping reverse NJ Transit's ailing fortunes. Vito Forlenza, chairman of the Amalgamated Transit Union, says DeLibero's biggest contribution has been improving morale at the agency. "Before Shirley, the union never had such a strong relationship with the executive director. She's taken the time out to get to know the people in the trenches," he says.

So while the past six years have meant long hours, little vacation and lots of stress, DeLibero sees little reason to complain. "When I walkout of here, cross the street and a bus driver beeps his horn to say `hello'--that, to me, is success."

ATLANTA'S TOP COP

A marked woman. That's what many felt Beverly Harvard would be when she was appointed the 21st police chief of Atlanta in 1994. As the first African American woman to lead the police department of a major city, Harvard was aware that every decision she made would be subject to scrutiny from the word, "go".

And it was a trial by fire. In the first two years of her appointment, Harvard rode shotgun as Atlanta hosted the Olympic Games, Paralympics and Freedom Fest (formerly Freaknik). In previous years, Freedom Fest, the annual festival of college students, attracted thousands of young people to the city. Subsequent looting, property damage and vandalism took a heavy toll on Atlanta; over 200 arrests were made by the end of this event in 1995. But last year's Freedom Fest was largely uneventful, thanks to a curfew and traffic plan that limited access to certain city areas.

The challenges are plentiful. As Atlanta's top cop, the 46-year-old Harvard has to maintain peace in a metropolis ranked in FBI statistics as one of the nation's most crime-ridden cities. Corruption scandals have eroded public confidence in the police department and damaged morale within her force. And she must deal with such internal issues as retaining top officers, despite salaries averaging 15% below that for comparable positions in other large cities. Harvard herself earns an annual salary of $88,000, considerably less than her counterparts in cities like Houston, Detroit and Los Angeles.

But Harvard, who routinely works around-the-clock at least six days a week and controls a budget of more than $100 million, says these very challenges stimulate her. "One of the things that really keep me going is having confidence in myself and my ability. I know I'm a good police chief," she says.

"The primary job of chief is to provide direction for the department," she explains. "I think you have to be a visionary. Once you define that vision, you have to show leadership in order to have people follow you to where you want to go."

But like the police chief of any large city, Harvard has her share of critics. It's been said that Mayor Bill Campbell, who appointed Harvard, keeps her on a short leash whereas police chiefs under previous administrations appeared to have more direct control of their departments. Campbell decides key police appointments and is often seen at news conferences speaking on behalf of the department. "The mayor does not micro-manage," says Harvard. "He's concerned about crime, and we talk about what my strategies are going to be because I want him to be informed. But I have full reign of my police department."

She leads without being the stereotypical boisterous police chief, say those who know her. "She's a forceful person who can get a job done with compassion," according to the Rev. Gerald Durley, president of Atlanta's Concerned Black Clergy. "She can lead without being pushy."

An emphasis on community policing has been Harvard's stamp on the Atlanta force. With 1,700 officers under her command, she believes that Atlanta's law enforcers must build positive relationships within the community and be present even when there is no crisis. "How can you show anyone anything if you're always inside the car with the window rolled up?" she declares. "If we want the community participating with us, we've got to see them more often than when they dial 911."

Other initiatives she's enacted include installing microcomputers in patrol cars to give officers instant access to police reports, and combining the department's school detectives, child molestation and curfew enforcement units in response to concerns about teen crime. As a result, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults and burglaries all declined in the first 10 months of 1996 compared with the same period in 1995.

Joining the Atlanta police force in 1973, Harvard was appointed deputy chief eight years later, a position she held for 12 years. She served as acting chief for six months before Campbell appointed her to head the department in 1994. The mayor says she was selected over two other candidates because she was qualified and worked her way up through the department, commending the career development, criminal investigation and the administrative services divisions at various times. But even that hasn't quelled some doubters.

"I'm sure there are people who would like to see me fail," Harvard says. "If it doesn't work, I would be singled out as proof that women are not cut out to be chief. And I know that's absolutely not true."

Still, on-the-job demands make it increasingly difficult to separate work from home, says Harvard, who's married with two daughters. So the Morris Brown College grad tries to incorporate her family as much as possible into whatever she does. It's a rare afternoon when she gets to do something that's not police-related.

An upcoming mayoral election could affect her contract renewal, but Harvard shrugs off any thought of changing her professional plans. "I don't know what I'll do next. But I don't worry about not being chief forever. With this type of schedule, I wouldn't want to be," Harvard says with a laugh. "Right now, I just want to focus on being the best chief Atlanta has ever had."

DIRECTING TRAFFIC ON THE NATION'S HIGHWAYS

Sitting behind a cluttered desk in her Washington, D.C., office, Gloria Jeff has a dear view of the busy courtyard of the Federal Department of Transportation Building. Jeff, now serving her fourth year as associate administrator for policy with the Federal Highway Administration, decides not only what roads and highways are built across the nation but also advises the transportation departments of countries around the world, like South Africa and Russia. She's the first African American woman appointed by a President to such a high-level position within the Department of Transportation.

"I wanted a profession where I really had the opportunity to make a difference in people's lives on a daily basis and Transportation does that. People can't move from point A to point B without it," Jeff says. "It's the lifeblood that keeps a city alive."

Working with other Transportation officials, Jeff influences a $20-$25 billion annual operating budget. Her office of approximately 100 staff members includes economists, engineers, information managers and statisticians. They analyze transportation trends and develop policy based on their findings. Studying the employment, medical and recreational needs of a community, they then use this information to strategically place roads and highways for easier access.

"Roads and highways are directly linked to the financial well-being of any community," says Margaret C. Simms, director of research programs for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and a BE Board of Economist member. "Gloria is a key player in implementing policy which helps make our businesses attractive and accessible locations to stop and shop."

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD 

The toughest part of Jeffs career may have been getting her foot in the door. There were very few black women engineers to serve as role models when she was starting out. No wonder her parents urged her to take up teaching as a career. But Jeff followed her own path and enrolled in the University of Michigan's engineering program. But when she failed to meet the university's academic standards at the end of her sophomore year, the college transferred her into liberal arts and suggested she choose another course of study. Jeff ignored this advice, regrouped and worked harder to be readmitted into engineering.

After completing her undergraduate degree in civil engineering, Jeff began working on her master's in urban planning and landed a summer internship working with the Urban Mass Transit Administration in Chicago. The job made such an impact that she pursued a dual master's, combining civil engineering with a transportation specialty.

In 1976, she worked for the Southeast Michigan Transportation Authority before moving to the Michigan Department of Transportation, where she spent the next 12 years. While in Michigan, Jeff "tended to be the dominant person in any meeting that she was involved in," says her then-supervisor Robert Adams, former chief deputy director of the Michigan Department of Transportation. It was her take-charge attitude that made her stand out, notes Adams. "And it's that attitude that contributes to her effectiveness in any position that she's in. She always delivered what was expected of her."

Jeff had been serving as deputy director for the department for almost three years when she learned she was being considered for the associate administrator slot at the Federal Highway Administration. Rodney E. Slater, federal highway administrator of the FHA, says Michigan was the perfect training ground for Jeff; there, she dealt with meeting the competing needs of the inner city versus that of the surrounding suburban areas.

"That Gloria had these issues to grapple with and was still very much involved in her community really made her stand out," says Slater, who himself was recently nominated by President Clinton to head the Transportation Department (see "Joining the Inner Circle," Newspoints, March 1997). Before she came to Washington, Jeff was doing daily on a local level what she now does on a national one. "She was interfacing with the people who are impacted by the transportation decision-making process, and getting them involved in it, notes Slater."

Today her aggressive approach has helped the department keep on top of global transportation trends. Even though the two do occasionally bump heads, Slater acknowledges that "with Gloria, it's always a frank give-and-take that ultimately helps the agency because it leads us to innovative responses to challenges."

The best part of her job, says Jeff, is using her knowledge of transportation to make sure that travel is easy and accessible for all segments of society--from senior citizens to working mothers. "Highways are about more than asphalt, concrete and steel," she concludes. "They're about people. Instead of demolishing our communities, I can help improve them."

RELATED ARTICLE: Considering, a Nontraditional Career?

As women make progressive inroads into professions ranging from law enforcement to the government sector to private industry, here are some specific strategies to ensure a successful journey up the career ladder.

1. Interview women and men who've worked in the profession you're considering. Ask them about their work situation, the typical number of hours they put in and their office environment. What's the general position on family life? Are child-care services available? Is there an employment or labor union? How are grievances generally settled? Can you arrange for further training and development?

2. Consult a career counselor to clarify your career choices. Determine What are your most marketable skills, and what lifestyle and employment values are most important to you.

3. Understand that the work culture in nontraditional settings is often not conducive to the needs of African American women. In these fields, it's considered the norm for employees to sacrifice their family life and make work their first priority.

4. Scout out willing and trust worthy professional role models, regardless of sex or color, and allow them to show you the ropes of your chosen industry.

5. Don't sacrifice who you are or your unique attributes to get on the power track. Bring your diversity to the table.

Adapted from Sister Power: How Phenomenal Black Women are Rising to the Top in a Race-Conscious Society by Patricia Reid-Merritt, John Wiley & Sons, 1996.