Welcome to a series introducing the women who were nominated by professionals and will be honored at "The Rad Women Celebration: Being Rad for Social Change." The event is hosted by the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee and will take place on Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Italian Conference Center. The idea was inspired by the bestselling book "Rad American Women A to Z," by Kate Schatz, who is the keynote speaker at the event. For more information, go here.
Linda Benfield is an attorney and managing partner for Foley & Lardner. She was nominated as a Rad Woman by a coworker who said, "Linda is the definition of a Rad Woman; a trailblazing attorney who brings a positive, energetic approach to her leadership of Foley’s Milwaukee office."
She also dedicates significant time to working within the Milwaukee community through the United Way, the Milwaukee Ballet and many others.
Read on for more rad-ness.
OnMilwaukee: What is your "mission" with the work that you do?
Linda Benfield: I am most satisfied when I help people achieve their goals. In my professional life, that could be working through environmental regulations to launch a new product or expand a business. In my volunteer activities, I have the same goal and love being a part of projects and teams that focus on a problem and solutions, or work to implement a great idea. I don’t like to be told "no" and if I am, I just find a way to work around the issue.
What does success mean to you?
It’s all about balancing. Making sure that I am meeting my personal, professional and volunteer commitments within a range of satisfaction. I know that everyone would draw the lines between these commitments differently, based on their own priorities, and I respect that. I also know that as our professional lives change, and our families grow, we have to constantly redefine those boundaries in order to feel successful.
Who or what have you learned from the most?
I have had the privilege of working with strong leaders in my professional life, and in my volunteer activities. I am drawn to, and love learning from people who have a passion for their work, whether it is dance, community service, or law.
What would you like to see change for women in the workforce?
I would like the issue of women in the workforce to be a non-issue. I would like for the presence of women in a meeting, or on a board, to not be something that stands out as an anomaly, but be so routine and expected, that the opposite situation would attract attention from men and women – that they would notice and speak up if women were not present.
I know that the concept of "conscious inclusion" is currently being emphasized in workplaces – that men and women should be consciously working to overcome unconscious biases and to include women and other minorities in their work. I am hoping that that is a stepping stone to real inclusion, which would be success.
What does a "perfect" day off from work include for you?
An exercise class in the morning, and then an afternoon on the patio with some iced tea and a good book. And of course, not having to cook dinner.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
