Throughout Women’s History Month in March, we shared stories from women in operations roles with diverse backgrounds and leadership journeys. Now, we’re sharing a conversation with Greg Kiskinen, Director of Base Area Operations at Kirkwood and Wolfgang Sterr, Senior Director of Mountain Dining at Whistler Blackcomb. Both Greg and Wolfgang are members of the Women & Allies Employee Resource Group (ERG), and we learned a bit about what it means to be an ally.
Epic Insider: Why did you apply to be part of the Women & Allies ERG?
Greg: I was fortunate to grow up with very strong female role models which has helped shape who I am and how I see things. Now as a father of a 5-year-old girl I find myself thinking about what I would like the world to look like when she is preparing to set out on her own. When she does, I want to be working for a company that I am proud of regarding equity and inclusion, and I want to be a part of making that happen.
Wolfgang: I want to listen and learn, and I want to be able to facilitate equity.
Epic Insider: What does allyship mean to you?
Greg: Leveraging my place of privilege to help amplify the messages and actions my ERG team and female colleagues find to be the most important.
Wolfgang: Listening and learning how I can take action to be in service of my female colleagues.
Epic Insider: What does practicing allyship in action look like for you?
Wolfgang: It’s about changing my lens to see more openly and listen more deeply to what the person across from me is experiencing and how a situation or culture is impacting them.
Greg: Honestly, sometimes it can be uncomfortable; I also know being vulnerable and educating myself as an ally is extremely important. I stay focused on listening and trying to help amplify my female colleagues’ stories and experiences.
Epic Insider: What have you learned from your experience with Women & Allies?
Greg: The burden of change often falls on the marginalized or repressed, and we need to change that, which we can do through intentionality. We are here with a clear mission and although it will take time, with the power of intention I believe we will make progress.
Wolfgang: Listening to conversations and experiences from our female leaders has opened my eyes to where we need to focus our energy to build a strong DEI culture.
Epic Insider: What advice would you give others interested in becoming allies?
Wolfgang: Small actions can have big impacts; everybody can support small actions to create a more inclusive future.
Greg: There are parts of your day that drain from your bucket and parts of your day that fill it back up. I can honestly say the days the ERG meets, the days we have a success to share of action being taken or voices being heard… those days always fill my bucket.