Cindy Nelson
Attorney at Nelson Elder Care Law Firm
Which women have made the biggest impact in your everyday life?
Inspiring Women Meet Some of Our County’s Influential Women BY ASHLEY VELEZ
Last month’s feature on some of the inspiring women of Cherokee County was so well-received that I was asked to write a continuation, featuring a few more women who make our community great. Again, I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed listening and learning from them. To finish off this two-part feature, I was invited to share my own responses. I’m delighted to share some of my own snippets and inspirations to include alongside the others, and hope that if you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting any of the women included here, ask them about their incredible lives. These conversations were an important reminder that despite everything going on in the world, connection is there, and women are so often at the center of it. Ashley Velez is a digital marketing strategist, freelance writer and company culture advocate. She's a proud resident of Woodstock, where she lives with her family.
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AROUND WOODSTOCK | April 2021
My mother was my first role model. She was always a professional woman with a keen sense of business. As I entered my adult life, I was fortunate to work at Hewlett Packard, a company known for including and encouraging diversity. Anne Livermore, an Executive Vice President at HP until 2011, was one of the only female executives of a Fortune 100 company at the time. Throughout my career at Hewlett Packard I worked for great female role models. I started my career working in IT. At the time, there were not very many women working in t hat area of business, and it was not uncommon for me to be the only female at the table as I was promoted. This instilled a sense of responsibility in me to mentor women. I’ve spent my life helping women to live their best life, whatever that means to them. I have always believed that a woman can achieve any goal she sets for herself and is not restricted because of her gender.
What piece of advice would you offer young women who are just graduating from school?
Look for a female and a male mentor. Choose someone you admire and respect who is willing to give you honest guidance and feedback. Throughout your life, you should have many mentors who can offer you assistance in a variety of different skills and strengths.
Who’s one local female who’s inspired you?
Carol Tome, the CEO of UPS, is a wonderful inspiration. I worked with her when she was the CFO of The Home Depot. She has created her own style and maintains her individuality while still effectively working at the executive level in Fortune 100 companies. She is a brilliant woman who has the skills to lead large international companies and make it look easy. If you have not heard Carol on an earnings call, I would encourage you to make a point of listening to her. She is also an inspirational speaker.
Who’s one female leader you admire, and why?
Ruth Bader Ginsburg has always been a woman I admired. She had to put forth the extra effort to be seen beyond her gender and her looks. She was able to show the world that it didn’t matter whether she was a female, wife and mother. What mattered was she was an intelligent attorney who was interested in focusing her energy on making positive changes in the United States. She was effective making significant strides for women and people in general because of her brilliance and dedication.
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