'I deserve to be in there': Lisa Johnson on being the only woman in the room

Alison Bauter^[1]

Reporter- Milwaukee Business Journal

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.^[2]  |  Twitter^[3]

A successful startup co-founder and fundraiser, Lisa Johnson^[4] made her mark in biotech and business, often as (literally) the only woman in the room.

Now leading the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.'s entrepreneurship and innovation efforts, she's still somewhat unusual in a state that — following national trends — sees  few^[5] female entrepreneurs, and even fewer women investors. Here are some comments from a recent Business Journal interview:

Have you ever had situations where you’re the only woman in the room, and how do you deal with that?
"When I was with Novagen (Biosciences Inc.), and then especially with Merck, which was a German corporation, I was in with — oh my god, it was 20, 25 men — and I walked out and a guy came up to me and said, ‘Oh my god. Was that really hard on you to be in that room?’

"I will be honest with you: I did not notice. I honestly didn’t notice, because I felt I was there due to my position and my experience. I had something to say in that meeting and that’s why I was invited.

"When he said, ‘You must have been really uncomfortable,’ I said, ‘Listen. If there was anyone that was uncomfortable, there were some men who didn’t want me there. They were uncomfortable. Guess what? That’s not my problem, that’s their problem. I can’t control that. So, that’s something they’re going to have to get over, because I deserve to be in there.'"

But...
"The second story is with Merck, as it continued to grow and buy other companies, I had to report to a woman. She was the worst person I have ever reported to in my life because the bad thing about women (is) we also can undermine one another. And that really bothers me about women, that some are scared of their fellow (women). Where they should be trying to raise them up, they make sure that they knock ‘em down."

Reporter Alison Bauter covers small business, technology and banking for the Milwaukee Business Journal.

References

1. ^{^} Alison Bauter (feeds.bizjournals.com)
2. ^{^} This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (feeds.bizjournals.com)
3. ^{^} Twitter (twitter.com)
4. ^{^} Lisa Johnson (feeds.bizjournals.com)
5. ^{^} few (www.bizjournals.com)