As a child growing up in the deep South, Theresa Carter never let the words "you can't do that" stop her. She says her conviction and perseverance came from her mother, who moved three young daughters from Ohio back to Alabama after divorcing Carter's father.
When she graduated from the University of Alabama with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism, Carter returned north, this time to Akron, to seek better employment opportunities. She met her future husband a week later. In need of a job, she took a temporary assignment that turned into a full-time position with the company she's been with now for 22 years.
"I got in with General Tire & Rubber Co. (which became GenCorp and then OMNOVA Solutions in 1999), starting out in purchasing until a job opened in the corporate office for communications. I did some administrative work and site visits for the company's foundation," says Carter, now president of OMNOVA Solutions Foundation.
While her parent company employs about 1,800 workers, the foundation consists of just Carter and a part-time employee. Even with limited staffing, Carter finds time to serve on 10 boards and nine advisory councils and committees throughout the community, including the Akron Urban League, the Greater Akron and Fairlawn chambers of commerce, Tri-County Jobs for Ohio's Graduates, Project Grad-Akron, the University of Akron Foundation, the NAACP, the American Red Cross of Summit County and the United Way of Summit County, among others.
"My position lends itself to this kind of work - it's easier for me to be away from the office and be involved. It's not required that I [serve on] all these, but I choose to," Carter explains. "My job is obviously to work with nonprofits. But I think it's important to go above and beyond, and I think being a part of giving back is truly important."
She often finds herself attending several meetings in a day, running from one to the next, but she doesn't complain. "It can be overwhelming, absolutely," says Carter, whose work commitments often spill into evenings or weekends, potentially detracting from precious family time. "But I strongly believe in the mission of the boards I'm on, and I truly share their passions and commitments to making a difference in the lives of those folks who need it the most. So I make the time."
She encourages co-workers and friends, along with her husband and two teenage daughters, to get involved in the organizations as well. That way, she can spend more time doing what she loves in the company of the people she cares about most, Carter says.
"It's all about sharing, caring and giving without really expecting anything in return," she says. "Just knowing you're making a positive impact, that's the key for me."
Carter's strong values were instilled by her mother, a single parent who raised three daughters and sent them to college on a teacher's salary.
"At the time, we had no clue what my mother was going through because that was just life to us. She was always telling us the things we could achieve - that there was nothing we couldn't do," Carter recalls. "I mean, I grew up in Alabama in the '70s; there weren't a lot of little black kids leading anything. I was the first one in many things - student council president, cheerleading, etc."
She tries to pass on her strong values to her daughters and other women. "Don't think there's anything out there you can't achieve. You just have to have perseverance, hard work and believe in yourself and make it happen," says Carter, who also spends time mentoring students and young co-workers.
"Anytime I can lend a hand to encourage, inspire or provide an opportunity for people is important to me. I have tons of résumés because I'm in the community and I know a lot of opportunities that come up," she says. "I think it's always important for us to reach back and help that next person up because I know what it took for me to get where I am."
Carter is appreciative of the many women and men who helped her along the way. "There are lots of women I admire who encouraged me. Having those in life who can encourage and inspire and mentor is important," she says.
As for setting an example for others, Carter says, "If someone sees me as a role model, that's fantastic. I try to live my life and do things as one. I have two daughters, and I'm definitely a role model and mentor to them."
Seeing her children succeed is among her greatest satisfactions in life, as well as having an impact in the lives of people. It's what gets her out of bed each morning. "It's a joy coming into my office every day because I know, at the end of the day, I'm touching a life," Carter says. "And hopefully it's going to make a difference somewhere down the road."