As National Women’s History Month comes to an end, it is important to honor local women who have made and continue to make a positive difference in our community.
There are a countless number of women who truly make Bradford a better place of us all. Four of these women: Alicia Dankesreiter, Teri Cannon, Christine Minich, and Stephanie Vettenberg-Shaffer, are featured in this article.
Dankesreiter is the airport manager of the Bradford Regional Airport. Dankesreiter graduated with a degree in hospitality management from Mercyhurst College and started her career with Hyatt Hotels. Working for Hyatt Hotels allowed her the opportunity to develop professionally and learn about working for a big company. In 2006, she began working for the Bradford Regional Airport. Since then, with help of her team, she has taken over the management of the facility and is responsible for everything from finances to runways. She spent eight years assisting and learning from her predecessor and acquired knowledge of the aviation industry.
She is proud that the Airport Authority was confident in her abilities and encouraged her to oversee airport operations. Dankesreiter said, “More often than not I’m the only woman in the room and I no longer find that intimidating — I find it energizing”. She lives in Wilcox with her husband, Brian; their children, Stella and Oliver; and two Weimeraners.
Cannon, raised in Bradford, helps to manage the city of Bradford. After graduating from Bradford Area High School in 1974, held a number of clerical and accounting positions. These positions prepared her for her employment with the City of Bradford. In 1990, she was hired as a teller/clerk in the City Treasurer’s office. She transferred out of that department to learn more about the functions of other city departments and broaden her knowledge of operations. She served as secretary to the Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB) and Civil Service Commission and became the representative to the Uniformed Pension Board. She was appointed as executive secretary to the city clerk and later became the deputy city clerk. In 2014, she was appointed to her current position as city administrator.
Minich, executive assistant at Zippo Manufacturing Co., is actively involved in the community. She holds leadership roles with the Bradford Area Public Library and the ELF (Era’s Less Fortunate) Fund. Minich, a lifelong learner, earned her bachelor’s degree in business management and leadership from Houghton College in 2015.
Minich said, “My greatest accomplishment is managing the right balance to raise my family, advance in my workplace and maintain my health, while working diligently to further my education.” She resides in Custer City with her husband, Dan, and has four children and three grandchildren.
Shaffer, McKean County District Attorney, developed a passion and respect for the proceedings and traditions of our legal system. She wanted a career in law but was concerned with how she could financially achieve her goal. Since she had good grades, she qualified for grants and loans. She also worked for different jobs while she was in high school, college and law school. She eventually went to law school in Buffalo, N.Y., and continued to work in McKean County.
It wasn’t easy to balance work and her education.
Shaffer explained that law school does not teach you to be a lawyer. She relied on the experience of other lawyers in the area who are very willing to share advice and information.
She further explained that her best education came from her first job with Mark Hollenbeck and Tony Clarke. She added, “They each had different characteristics in how they performed their duties and I think I adopted some characteristics from each of them. They also showed me how to run a business — how to make sure bills are paid, keep up on required trainings and, most importantly, that each case is important to the victim, regardless of the type of case.”
She learned from attorneys that she went up against in court as well. Shaffer discovered that being prepared is just as important as having experience and, if she was well prepared, she could represent her client just as well as a more experienced attorney.
Shaffer was attracted to the formality of law and the importance of rules of the court. She loves walking into a courtroom, recognizing the formality of the proceedings, respecting the system and feeling like time has nearly stood still in upholding a tradition. Now, as an experienced attorney, she shares her knowledge with younger attorneys. She said that she was fortunate that there had been women in the McKean County Bar Association before her, including Deborah Babcox, Michele Alfieri-Causer, and Dawn Fink. In McKean County, 18 of 30 county departments are currently headed by women.
Though each of these women have chosen different career paths and have different professional experiences, they have many things in common. They all mention the struggle of balancing family, education and work. All of them emphasized the importance of continuing to learn.
They have and continue to take advantage of every opportunity to learn and grow professionally. They all learned from other female leaders and are willing to share their knowledge with others.
As Cannon advised, “Don’t be afraid to jump in with both feet. Your job is entirely what you make of it. Smile and be willing to learn as much as possible. The effort you put forth will all come back to you.”
The theme of National Women’s History Month is persistence. These women, as well as many others in the area, have not only persisted, but succeeded and are role models for future generations.
(Roessler is the adult programming and marketing coordinator for Bradford Area Public Library.)
