As the first female presidents of their respective groups, Carol Gareau and Trina Watkins make history.
By JADE JACKSON LLOYD
Published March 21, 2004
SEMINOLE - Two of the city's most prominent civic organizations have been dominated by men for about 40 years.
Now, for the evening Kiwanis Club of Seminole and the Seminole Chamber of Commerce, the DNA has changed: More X chromosomes are at the table.
Carol Gareau, 58, and Trina Watkins, 59, have made Seminole history as the first female presidents of Kiwanis and the chamber, respectively.
That they did so at the same time is coincidence, they say.
"I think it's amazing after all these years that it would happen at the same time, in the same calendar year," Watkins said Thursday. "It's almost like it was meant to be."
Watkins said her 30 years as a businesswoman and entrepreneur helped prepare her for the job.
As chamber president, she oversees a 12-member board of directors and a 5-member executive board, guides the organization's committees and conceives ways to benefit the chamber's nearly 400 business members.
For the 41 years with men running the organization, Watkins said, one thing was missing: a woman's touch.
"When you look at something from a woman's standpoint, (we) bring a certain amount of fresh air that creates an atmosphere for the community to get involved," she said. "You look at things from a different angle than possibly a man would."
Watkins will be president through the end of the year. Gareau's term ends the last day of September. Men will succeed them.
Watkins, involved with the chamber for three years before her presidency, said she has encountered no opposition to her being a woman in this position.
"I really think everyone was as excited as I am," said the community relations director of Freedom Square and Lake Seminole Square retirement communities. "I feel I have tremendous support from the community and the city, along with the chamber and its members."
For Gareau, a receptionist at Tech Data, the transition has not gone as smoothly.
Gareau's first affiliation with Kiwanis came via her ex-husband. She served as a 10-year member of Ki-Wives, an ancillary group for members' spouses. While her service proved satisfying, Gareau said, she always wanted more.
"I felt I was a businesswoman in the community, but I wasn't able to join a business group," she said Friday. "I wanted to be in on the action, to be able to do community service."
Making Kiwanis history is not new to her. In 1991, she became the first woman allowed into the club's then all-male ranks. The international organization voted in 1987 to include women in their club, Gareau said.
Unused to the suddenly feminine presence at meetings, the men tested her as a member, Gareau said.
"It was not easy," she said. "It actually caused dissension in the membership because it was a big step to take for them."
Even in the midst of her reign as president, she still struggles with some members' misogyny, she said.
"I feel I've earned and worked my way to be accepted," she said. But, "it's been challenging. You feel there's still a little resistance from some of the members."
With women taking up 10 slots in the 53-member club, Gareau said, there is progress to be made.
So far, though, she has enjoyed the ride.
"It's an interesting time in the community to have a female in both positions," Gareau said. "We both have a challenge, and we're both facing it."
