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Women Who Move the City - 2007

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Tracy Jarman

Take a look at any leader and you will likely find extraordinary examples of determination. But for San Diego Fire Chief Tracy Jarman, that term takes on new meaning. Consider the time she slept on the steps of Balboa Park’s War Memorial Building for nine nights, in order to maintain the 59th spot in a long line for 60 new firefighter jobs. The resolve that saw her through those nine nights is an attribute few people possess. So it’s not surprising that no one doubted Jarman’s ability to assume the position of fire chief, despite being the first woman in the role.

Prior to Jarman taking over, the department and the position came under heavy criticism due to its handling of San Diego County’s 2003 Cedar fire, the second largest wildfire in California’s history—and it became clear that new leadership and new ideas were needed. Longtime Chief Jeff Bowman resigned soon after the fire and recommended Jarman as his successor. She certainly had the credentials: She had served as assistant fire chief and interim fire chief following Bowman’s retirement. And in June 2006, she took over by unanimous selection. Of the 24 female fire chiefs in the United States, only Joanne Hays-White of San Francisco runs a department larger than Jarman’s.

She’s taking on all of these new responsibilities despite the fact that she had been planning to retire just a few years ago. But she changed her mind when Bowman announced his resignation. “When Chief Bowman made his decision, I rethought mine,” says Jarman. “This is a great organization, and they need the leadership. It was the right thing to do and the right time to step up.”

Maureen O’Connor

Maureen O’Connor is a classic example of a native rising to prominence, a rarity in this city of transplants. But even more rare, she will forever be San Diego’s first female mayor, and to this day she is still one of its most beloved.

One of 13 children, in her youth it was assumed that she’d follow a career in sports, especially considering that her father was former local boxer “Kid Jerome.” An avid swimmer, she became a physical education teacher and counselor for Rosary High School, after graduating from San Diego State University in 1970. So it was a surprise even to her when she decided to pursue politics, a choice famously spurred by rude treatment at City Hall. In 1971, at the age of 25, she ran for and won a seat on the San Diego City Council, serving until 1979. Then, from 1980 to 1985, she was commissioner of the Port of San Diego.

O’Connor’s first bid for the office of mayor was in 1983, when she unsuccessfully ran against Roger Hedgecock. Vindication came just two years later, after Hedgecock resigned under a campaign finance scandal. She won the subsequent election, becoming the city’s first female mayor.

In office until 1992, she was known for her deep love of the city’s residents. Once she even spent a few incognito nights with the homeless to see firsthand how they lived. Her cover, though, was blown when a nun recognized O’Connor. The nun left the mayor with a few wise words. “If you want to conceal your identity, you should remember that homeless women don’t read the financial pages,” she said.

During her mayoral years, O’Connor also oversaw the seeds of downtown’s rebirth, including the construction of the Convention Center and Horton Plaza.

Angela Salinas

Despite the organization’s well-known slogan, “The few. The proud. The Marines,” the first woman to become commanding general of either of the Marine Corps’ two boot camps is in charge of more than a few solders. This honor is just the latest in a long line of achievements for Brigadier General Angela Salinas of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.

Originally hailing from Alice, Texas, Salinas attended Dominican College of San Rafael, California, where she received a bachelor’s degree in history. To hear her tell it, Salinas came to be a Marine when, in 1974, she met a recruiter in a post office. He asked her why she wasn’t a Marine, and she proceeded to listen to his pitch and believed it would add meaning to her life.

She enlisted a few days later and within a week traveled from San Rafael to Parris Island, South Carolina, to begin boot camp. More than 30 years later, in 2006, during the change-of-command ceremony into her current appointment, Salinas said, “I wonder, did that recruiter ever think that he, in fact, would be enlisting the future commanding officer of the very region he worked in?”

Being in charge of a facility that trains all male Marine recruits west of the Mississippi is just the latest honor for Salinas. In June 1989, Salinas assumed command of Recruiting Station Charleston and became the first woman in the Marine Corps to command a recruiting station. In June 1992, she received her master’s degree from the Naval War College and became the first woman assigned as a combat service support ground monitor, responsible for the assignments of more than 1,000 senior officers. She was the first female assigned as a plans and policy officer for a major combatant command in 1999. A few years later, in May 2001, she assumed command of the 12th Marine Corps District, becoming the first woman to serve as a recruiting district commanding officer. And in 2002, Hispanic Business magazine named her as one of the nation’s 50 most influential Latinos.

For years, Salinas hoped she wouldn’t be known as a great female Marine or a great Latina Marine but simply as a great Marine, being held to the same standards as everyone in the Corps. However, at a family wedding many years ago, she changed her opinion, realizing that her heritage is a source of pride to many. A relative asked that everyone honor the Marine among them, and she realized in that moment that her accomplishments meant even more to her community because she, as a Latina woman, had achieved the American Dream.

Gail Naughton

San Diego Magazine named Gail Naughton as the 2006 Woman of the Year.

Naughton’s distinguished career has benefited the academic community, the health sector and America’s overall quality of life. Currently an instrumental leader at San Diego State University as the dean of the College of Business Administration, Gail guided the school to offer the first life sciences Ph.D./MBA program in the country. In addition, she serves as part of the university advisory boards at Johns Hopkins University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Washington and MIT.

To top it off, she devotes her time to several nonprofit foundations. Among them are the California Health Institute, the Ackerman Foundation and Rotary International. Her endless dedication truly makes her a role model to us all.

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