From: Gender Equity Network
Date: November 13, 2017
Subject: Manbassador Spotlight - Paul Eckert


Manbassador Mondays
Developing confident male allies who engage, advocate for, and respect women


Manbassador Spotlight - Paul Eckert
 

In honor of Veterans Day Weekend, we want to highlight Paul Eckert as our inaugural Manbassador Spotlight as well as thank all of the Kellogg Veterans for their military service!

Paul Eckert attended the United States Naval Academy and spent 8 years serving the U.S. Military as a Naval Flight Officer, UN Military Air Operations Chief, and as a Naval Flight Instructor and Operations Scheduler. He grew up in Texas and is a huge Astros fan, recently traveling to Houston to attend the World Series parade and celebration.
 
Paul is a first year in the 2Y program and a Marketing Director for the Manbassadors. He is passionate about spreading awareness and leaning more about gender equity to increase his impact as an ally. We sat down with Paul to learn more about his passion for serving as a Kellogg Manbassador.

Tell us about a time you saw the impact of male allies during your time in the Military?
During my time in the Navy, I met many “Military Lady Bossesâ€┬Ø who were amazing at their jobs and are now some of my closest friends.  I often saw how women had to prove how good they were and how many people assumed that women in the military were there to either find a husband or had an extremely feminist agenda. But the truth is, these women just wanted to serve their country.
 
The wife of one of my mentors joined the Navy and was on the same carrier as me. Her husband was her biggest ally, highlighting her accomplishments and building her brand. When she arrived, we were all excited to meet and work with her and she became an integral part of our team. During our deployment, she found out that she was pregnant. Many of the men on the carrier reacted to that news by asking her “if she was going to keep itâ€┬Ø. Instead of celebrating this announcement, her peers saw this as a problem to be solved or her career would be over. My friends and I were shocked by that response and worked to change the narrative to celebrate the announcement, highlight her achievements, and let her know how much she would be missed and how much value she added to our squadron. And now, she’s more of a mentor to me than her husband!

Why are you a Kellogg Manbassador?
I always knew the military was behind public and private corporations in terms of the ability to attract and retain women. In a sector that is almost 80% men, I assumed that we were much farther behind academic institutions and corporations. I thought all business schools would be closer to 50/50, so I was shocked when I found out that Kellogg was one of the highest with 42% women, and that outside of our close peer group of business schools, other schools had percentages closer to the military in regards to ratio of men to women.  While we are trending in the right direction, I didn’t realize that gender equity had not progressed further in higher education institutions.

What advice do you have for fellow Manbassadors?
Find the equivalent of a “Military Lady Bossâ€┬Ø and ask her about her experience as well as the challenges she may have faced as a woman at her former employer, at Kellogg, or in life in general. They will be honest with you and appreciate that you want to engage with them to get a women’s perspective.
 
On a more personal note, I recently got engaged and my fiancé is here with me in Evanston. It is heartening when we meet new people and they ask if we are both students or ask which of us is the student. Purposely fighting unconscious biases around gender norms when we meet new people is something we should all strive to do because for very little effort, we are making others feel validated and included.


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