Clean the World proudly celebrates Women’s Month.
Joan Toth
by Pam Rosenburg
A woman that influenced my life and made me learn what hard work was is Joan Toth. She was an Associate Publisher of Convenience Store News in 1992 when I met her. I was her Assistant in NYC. She expected nothing less than the best from me. She terrified me at the beginning because she was so demanding. She was a woman who knew what she wanted. And what she wanted was to run that company one day and she worked her butt off. There was no doubt that would happen. She deserved it and more. She worked endless hours, traveled to so many trade shows and conferences and client meetings. She trained her employees to be the best. I got the chance of a lifetime when a co-worker could not travel due to pregnancy and I had to fill in and fly to New Orleans to a huge convention. Of course, there was a huge problem prior to the show. Joan was not there yet but I was and I had to fix it. It was not easy but I did it. Not only did I fix the problem but I truly impressed Joan and I got a huge promotion and everything that she taught me to come out at that show. She knew she could throw anything at me from that point forward. We worked together there for 7 years. (FYI – she did end up running that company.)
When she left the publishing world she started a company called the Network of Executive Women, a 501 (c)3 educational organization with over 10,000 members representing 750 companies in the retail and consumer goods and services industry, including grocery, chain drug, mass retail, convenience store/petroleum, club, wholesalers, manufacturers, service providers associations and trade media. The mission of the organization was to advance women, grow business and transform the industry’s workplace through the power of the community. I saw the organization go from an idea to the 10,000+ members. By the way, her company was doing so well and they were so busy and needed extra help and she reached out to me to come and work for her again which I happily did for another few years.
After 15 years she chose to move on and she just started working for a company called Simpactful as a Senior Consultant. Simpactful is a CPG/Retail Consulting Firm made up of industry experts from top corporations. They specialize in areas of Diversity and Inclusion, Commercial Strategy, Revenue Management, Organizational Development. I am sure she will work her magic here as well.
We still remain in contact after all of these years. Without her, I am not sure where I would be in the workplace. She definitely helped shape me to be the woman I am in the workplace. She may have worked me hard but she was also the most caring person in the world to Eric and I. I am so grateful to have been put in her path in this life.
Jane Goodall
by Steffani Fields
My female role model is the British primatologist and anthropologist, Jane Goodall. As an animal-lover and a student of anthropology, I have always been interested in the relationship between apes and humans and often curious as to how we became so different over time. After studying and working with apes during college, I had the opportunity to work with Ms. Goodall as a researcher with the Jane Goodall Institute. I admire her for so many reasons, but mostly for her ability to live and study independently in Tanzania for over 30 years, proving to the world not only how intelligent and sensitive chimpanzees are, but mostly how closely related we are to them as humans. I also especially admire her for standing up for the rights and improving the lives of creatures who can’t necessarily do so for themselves. Although we work with humans at CTWF, I feel we have a similar mission in our efforts to improve the lives of children and families without access to the basic human rights of hygiene education and proper sanitation facilities. Below are a few very meaningful quotes from Jane Goodall:
Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.
The greatest danger to our future is apathy.
Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help shall all be saved.
