For Women’s History Month, we are continuing to highlight just some of the amazing women across the Cast & Crew organization. For this installment, we spoke with Stephanie Henderson, VP, Labor Relations. Check out her interview below:
Stephanie Henderson
VP, Labor Relations, Cast & Crew
How long have you been with Cast & Crew?
I’ve been with the company for 4.5 years now.
What has been one of the proudest moments in your career?
In the summer of 2021, I was promoted to a Vice President position. While that was a satisfying personal achievement, I was one of a handful of Black women who earned leadership positions here at Cast & Crew. I was given the opportunity to represent a unique intersection of identities as a department head, and I am proudest when people are inspired to grow because they see themselves in me.
In general, what inspires you most, and where do you pull inspiration from?
I’m often inspired by the growth of those around me and those who work to bring about change. Those who are choosing to do the difficult work of bettering themselves, of bettering the system and the people it supports, of growing and learning more about how their actions and inactions impact those around them and continue to choose to do better every day. It encourages me to continue to do the same, even when it would be easier not to.
What women leaders or trailblazers have you admired, and what did it mean to you to have them pave the way?
I have been quite lucky in that most of the leaders I’ve had in my career have been women. When I was a data entry clerk, it was my manager who encouraged me to move forward in the company as she herself had done. As a coordinator, it was my training manager who taught me not to fear mistakes because everything we do is fixable with the right amount of effort. And then my team’s senior manager, who taught me that effective leadership has less to do with job titles and more to do with cooperation and communication. Our department head taught me that compassion and understanding can be more important to a team than just output. Our head of operations showed me how having exemplary leadership can make a team feel, and what that can do for an entire company.
These women all taught me critical skills that they learned from being the first, best, or hardest working person, because they had no other choice but to be those things to succeed in a world inclined to exclude them. They passed on hard-learned information so that my path would not be as difficult as theirs was. I appreciate every lesson, every helping hand they gave me, because I would not be where I am without them. I can only hope I make half the impact on others that they made on me.
What does Women’s History Month mean or represent to you?
To me, Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate how far we’ve come while recognizing that the history we speak of is the lived experiences of our mothers and grandmothers. My grandmother was born in a time and place where being Jewish was punished by death; where, in the States, she went to a whites-only school; where she needed my grandfather’s—her husband’s—permission for medical procedures; where she couldn’t have a mortgage or bank account of her own.
She was only fifty years older than me.
Women’s History Month is a time to thank the people who did the tough work that ensured we could thrive, while also doing the same for those who still need us to be their voice.
How have you built confidence and / or resiliency over the course of your career?
I say this with a smile and the utmost seriousness: making mistakes and failing miserably has given me the most confidence. I would not have the knowledge I've gained if I hadn’t done the work, made the mistakes, and subsequently fixed those mistakes. This also taught me not to be afraid of accepting opportunities just because I’m afraid I might fail. What’s failure if it’s fixable, right?
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Thank you so much to Stephanie for taking the time to share a bit of her own history. Be sure to follow along as we continue to shine a spotlight on some of the many incredible women across our organization. We celebrate your achievements during Women's History Month and every day of the year!