At age 3, Erin Wiseman decided she wanted to be president of the United States - or maybe a Supreme Court justice.
There seemed to be one major avenue leading to both distinguished careers, and it was becoming an attorney, Wiseman said. She has been practicing law for several years and recently received partnership at Brydon, Swearengen & England.
While being president isn't on her immediate horizon, she said a lot of things can change in 20 years and stranger things have happened.
At 33, Wiseman is an energetic powerhouse who juggles a career and a hefty amount of community involvement.
She's the president of the Jefferson City Jaycees (along with several other positions), committee co-chair of the Second Chance Scholarship provided through the women's organization Zonta and is on the Planning and Zoning Commission for Jefferson City.
"My dad was the county clerk for Shelbyville, and he's just always been so involved since I could remember," Wiseman said. "He taught me that involvement is the best way to give back, and it's something I love. It's my passion."
A self-declared "Jefferson City transplant," Wiseman is originally from Shelbyville but moved to Jefferson City in her early teens, graduated from Jefferson City High School and went on to attend Truman State University in Kirksville for her undergraduate degree. She then received her graduate degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan in 2007.
Her former high school English teacher once told her that she should come back to Jefferson City and invest five years in the community.
Well, she said, it's turned into longer than five years because she loves where she is.
"I love the firm, I love the people that I work with," she said. "In so many ways, we're just like a big family there, and I adore working there."
She lives in the Capital City with her husband, Tylor Green, of 2.5 years and their black lab, Diesel.
Q. Who has invested in you and your career?
"When I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I was on my daddy's knee, and he would say, "You know, Erin, you can do whatever you want do to.' And that was something that was big for him. I said "Why?' as I got older, and he said, "Because when I was younger, women couldn't do anything, and let me tell you what, Erin, you are going to be able to do whatever you want to do, anything you can put your mind to.'
"I've always been taught that, and maybe that's one of my faults, is that I think that I can do anything or at least I'm going to try to do anything. My dad also encouraged (my mom) and supported her to go back to school when I was a kid, and she became a nurse. I watched her stay up, and I watched her study. She's a real inspiration. Aside from that, my mom also has a sister who never took no for an answer, and my mother and father always pointed that out to me. She was the strongest female in my life and still is one of the strongest females in my life. So those three people I feel really invested in my career and in me whether they know it or not."
Q. What choices have you made to invest in yourself and your own success?
"I work hard. I didn't have a TV when I bought my house several years ago because I knew I was going to work hard. I moved back in with my dad when I came back to town. He cooked food for me so that way I could work all the time, and I think my work ethic is my biggest own investment. The other part of it, as far as these organizations are concerned, it's just surrounding yourself with people who are able to fill in those weaknesses that I have. Without everybody else, without my assistants at work, without my board at Jaycees, without my co-chair at Zonta, I'm nothing. I can't do anything without those people. That's probably 25 people right there who make me who I am and on a day-to-day basis."
Q. What do you think are the biggest issues still facing women in the workplace?
"Sometimes just being a young female. That was the hardest thing for me in my profession, walking into the courtroom and the way that (other attorneys) looked at male attorneys is different than how they treated me. There's still some situations where I know that if I didn't look like a young female attorney I wouldn't be treated the way that I am. The specific attorney that does it to me right now is overly condescending until we get to court, in which case he will not look at me. He won't shake my hand. He doesn't talk to me. There is no camaraderie. In general, most attorneys, even if for some reason they don't like me or we don't get along, there's some sort of camaraderie there. Also some clients on occasion assume that I'm the assistant just because I'm a female."
Q. What drives you most in life and in your career?
"I want to say my dad again. I don't know why, but I always have wanted to impress my dad. I know if you called him right now he would say, "I think she's the best.' But I always want to go even farther just to impress him.
"I want to please people. I see clients on their worst day, and nobody comes to see me because they want to. I have an opportunity to, even though I can't fix a lot of situations, at least make it better and give them advice to make it better over time. My service to the public is one of the things that drives me because this goes back to the community aspect. My job is another form of serving the public."
Q. What advice would you give to a woman entering the workforce?
"Work hard. Volunteer. Network. I mean, those have been the core for me as far as professionally. Also, don't be afraid to ask for help. That's the biggest thing that I've learned from the Jaycees and the biggest thing that has humbled me this year. I've had to ask for so much help. And I say that not in a bad way that I couldn't handle things myself or couldn't do it, but there's no reason to be alone in an isolated island in what you're doing. As I've grown up, I found out even more that the support system is huge. Not only do I love to help people, but people love to help me back."
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15 in 15 Profiles:
Carrie Tergin: Third generation entrepreneur shares time between business, mayoral duties
Erin Wiseman: Attorney balances courtroom duties with a heavy dose of community ties
Nikki Payne: Boutique owner brings something new to hometown
Kris Ballage: Real estate agent never closes the door to opportunities
Suzie Nichols: Passionate musician composes second career in finance
Mary Kay Kempker: Jeweler connects with customers as friends
Catherine Crum: Salon owner relies on faith and community to spur success
Dr. Angel Allen: Experienced dermatologist focuses her business on stopping melanoma
Regina Garr: Birds-I-View owner a longtime presence for those who share her passion
Marilyn Herigon: Saleswoman who loves her work at age 71 has no plans to retire
Dr. Paige Hedgpath: Optometrist set her career goals early, knowing she could achieve them
Carolyn McDowell: Longtime store owner is civic-minded community fixture
Lisa Mankin: Restaurant owner credits faith and family for success, perseverance
Judy Dietzel: Sign company president is matriarch of family business
Jami Wenzel: Self-made woman balances real estate sales, grocery store ownership