Other Lost Leaders

Abstract

Pegge is the only Lost Leader in this book with a degree in engineering. Despite having such a highly marketable degree, she did not build her career in engineering, a field in which women are still very much in the minority. At the time she attended college, Pegge would have been one of only a handful of women in her classes. She quickly made the decision not to pursue what she terms “real” engineering but was able to use her technical knowledge to build a career in sales for manufacturing companies. Although she did not elaborate on that decision, it seems likely that being so much in the minority in the ranks of the “real” engineers played a role. Pegge also has a very pleasant, open personality, a trait that served her well in sales but may have been a detriment in the more masculine world of engineering. Pegge worked for large corporations, EngineerInc and Consolidated Manufacturing, which were subject to strict affirmative action regulations. Although she does not believe she benefitted from affirmative action, these companies were always very anxious to offer her the next step-up. Despite this, her career stalled because she was not willing to relocate once her husband became a company president. She also struggled to limit her business travel.