Marilyn B. Ward

From Rosie the Riveter and Amelia Earhart to Sally Ride and Madeline Albright, women have been increasingly making history and serving their country and communities throughout the past 100 years. As opportunities have become available, they’ve joined the ranks of U.S. military and become doctors and politicians, as well as police officers, firefighters, paramedics and dispatchers.

The month of March is Women’s History Month, and public safety communications and APCO International have benefited from women entering the ranks. Such women include Nadine Larimer, a dispatcher from the Joplin (Mo.) Police Department, who in 1957 became the first female member of APCO’s Missouri Chapter; and Helen Rushing, who began her public safety communications career in 1956 and has been an active APCO member for more than 50 years.

In August 1996, Marilyn B. Ward marked a major milestone in APCO history when she became president of the association—APCO’s first female president.

With 36 years of communications experience, Ward has dedicated her life’s work to the advancement of interoperability among emergency responders. She began her communications career with the City of Orlando Police Department, from which she retired in 1999 as manager of communications after 27 years of service. An active APCO Florida Chapter member, she served on its board of officers before her election to the national level. In 1997, Ward became the founding chair of the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC), and in 2005, she moved to her current position of NPSTC executive director.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Ward answered a few questions about her distinctive experiences and the challenges she faced as a woman in public safety communications.

Question: How did it feel to become APCO’s first female president?
Ward: Actually, I was a bit concerned that it would overshadow the time I have spent trying to serve the association. I had already been through the chairs in the Florida Chapter with several other woman officers, so I was comfortable and didn’t really see the need to make a big deal about it. I was a bit surprised by the media attention and tried to refocus it all back on to APCO priorities. At the time, a now good friend of mine said, “A woman would never make it through the politics of APCO.” That was a huge motivator for me — to be viewed as me, the person, not just the first woman national officer. I have always been, and will always be, a loyal member of APCO, and I am honored to have added to the history of the association.

Question: What drove you to be successful?
Ward: I think the type-A personality has a lot to do with my success. My parents let me be who I was and that has a lot to do with it too. They teased me when I was a kid for being too bossy — some things never change! I never recognized it as leadership until I received the American Legion’s Leadership award when I was in ninth grade. That was when I began to realize bossy and leadership have some correlation with each other. In high school, I started to take a leadership role in activities and liked the challenges it provided.

Question: When you entered public safety communications, what challenges did you face as a woman?
Ward: There were very few women in management and leadership roles. In addition, I was not a sworn officer, so I faced the challenges within my agency of being a non-sworn, female manager at the table with all male sworn officers. Fortunately, my mentor (a man) encouraged me to strive to stay involved and speak up when I had something to say. I will always be grateful that he took the time to correct me when I needed correcting and praised me when I did good.

Question: How did you overcome those challenges?
Ward: Try, try again. When you hit a hurdle, find another way around the barriers. I always tried to anticipate the problem and have several ways to accomplish what needed to be done. Relationships are critical to success and understanding “what is in it for me” is a way that some people make decisions. Already having the answer to that question when posing a solution generally helped me overcome challenges.

Question: Did you see other women struggle with inequality in the profession?
Ward: Absolutely. We were fortunate at the Orlando Police Department to have many strong women joining in the early and mid 1970s who eventually made it through the ranks. Today, a good friend of mine is the first African American female police chief in Orlando. When I retired she was a captain in patrol. The earlier women, who are now mostly retired, made it possible for her and the others who are in leadership roles throughout the agency.

Question: What advice would you give women who are beginning their careers in public safety communications?
Ward: Find a mentor, and get involved. It is easy to sit back and say you don’t understand technology. I was scared to death when I had to learn about MHz, and towers, and microwaves, but my mentor worked with me to ensure that I was prepared for promotions and reinforced that learning it all was critical to becoming a valuable member of my agency and the community. Also, volunteer and the experience will be far better for you than for those you are helping.

An Opportunity for Women
Through her time in public safety, Ward has served the industry as a 9-1-1 dispatcher, a police officer, a communications manager, an APCO member and leader, and a public safety telecommunications administrator, as well as in her current position at NPSTC. Her success as an APCO president set the stage for more women to lead on APCO’s national level, including APCO Past Presidents Wanda S. McCarley (August 2006-August2007) and Chris Fischer (August 2008-August 2009).

APCO continues its support of women in its ranks, most recently by holding the first Women in Public Safety Communications Leadership conference in 2009. The conference is addresses the daily demands and long-term career issues confronting women in leadership positions in the public safety communications industry. It provides attendees opportunities to network and take control of their careers by discussing their concerns, experiences and successful solutions and tactics with other professional women in the industry.

According to APCO Past President Chris Fischer, “The Women in Public Safety Communications Leadership Conference gives women a forum to discuss their unique career concerns and learn from other women who have faced similar challenges.”

The 2010 conference is April 21-22 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Fla. This year topics include office communication, social media, career development and work-life balance. Kelly R. Rasmussen, MS, ENP, who has worked in the 9-1-1 industry since 1986, will be the keynote speaker on April 21 and will discuss what women need to know to succeed in the industry. More information about the conference and its speakers can be found online at http://wipsc-legacy.apcointl.org.

For more information on Women’s History Month, visit www.womenshistorymonth.gov.

About the Author
Natasha Yetman is assistant editor for APCO’s Public Safety Communications magazine. Contact her via e-mail at yetmann@apcointl.org.