Themes

Current career issues including diversity and women in leadership roles.

Empowerment.

Overcoming adversity and inner strength.

Social issues in the workplace.

Time management.

About

My name is Millie Hreczany and I live in Chicago. I graduated in 1994 from the North Park University with a Bachelors Degree in English. I minored in Philosophy. In 2000 I became a Paramedic. I worked in the paramedic field for 7 years. I am currently a full time Devry student studying Technical Management.

I am analytical by nature and love to concentrate on details. My true strength is being able to look at a problem and offer suggestions for improvement and offer an alternative way of doing things. I offer a new perspective and outlook. I strive to do an excellent job on whatever I am working on.

During my career as a paramedic I have seen some unusual things. Being able to help someone is a very fulfilling experience. I loved my job and enjoyed working with people.

Being a female paramedic exposed me to judgment from every direction. Not only was I working in a male dominated environment, I was told by a frail old patient that I have no business doing a man’s job.

At a previous job, I was told by a decision maker that there will never be a women working in his department. I realized that change had to come from the top. Employees learn by example. When inappropriate behavior is not condoned, it is accepted and will continue.

Because of my experience, I started to recognize a gap in the people that were at the top. Companies did not have female decision makers. There were no females on boards or in high ranking positions. There were no females in a position that could influence others.

Assets

My goal as a leader is to educate women to look for clues that indicate an uphill battle. I was once asked at an interview if I had any children and how that would affect my ability to perform the job. It’s a struggle from the very beginning. Companies wanted to know everything about me as I was trying to prove myself according to a double standard.

I want the audience to take away with them the idea that it is perfectly normal for women to be aggressive. Start asking more questions. Don’t sit at meetings, but stand up and give your speech. Defend yourself and make sure you get the credit that you are due. Become a mentor or seek out a mentor.

Rave Reviews

My previous speaking arrangements involved teaching CPR to adults and young adults. Having the opportunity to teach CPR not only involved a lecture but also performing demonstrations. It was important for me to make sure I get the most important points across.

I also taught specific sections of a basic emergency medical technician class. This mainly involved taking a rather boring section of the book and attempting to make it interesting so that the material can be understood in easy terms.

People that have heard me speak said that I was able to put into words what they were thinking and feeling. They said that I was able to keep their attention by relating the material to everyday scenarios.