NEWiRE honors 1st female state auditor, Suzanne Bump

New England Women in Real Estate (NEWiRE) promotes the professional development of women in real estate by providing access to a powerful, well-connected and accomplished group of industry professionals. As an organization, we draw upon this strength to attract an amazing caliber of speakers at our events. This year marks NEWiRE's 20th Annual Women in Government Reception. Throughout the years, the Public Strategies Committee has done an extraordinary job at organizing an event which honors and celebrates women in federal, state and municipal positions. Speakers in the past include: Patricia McGovern, Trudy Coxe, Marjorie Clapprood, Helen Vassallo, Joan Vennocchi, Gloria Larson, Jane Swift, Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, Shannon O'Brien, Lauren Liss, Kerry Healy, Andrea Cabral, Jeanne Shaheen, Leslie Kirwan, Therese Murray, Niki Tsongas, Lisa Wong, Linda Balzotti and Sandra Henriquez. The guest speaker at this year's NEWiRE Women in Government Reception was Suzanne Bump, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' first female state auditor. Suzanne Bump was elected state auditor in 2010. With experience in both the public and private sector, she believes that better government means government that is more effective, more efficient, more accountable and more transparent. Her remarks to NEWiRE were inspiring, coming at a time when the number of women in elected governmental positions nationwide, as well as here in Massachusetts, is disappointingly low. She described her path to office and encouraged the audience to support female candidates or perhaps, to run ourselves. Auditor Bump previously served as the Commonwealth's Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, and before working as an attorney in the private sector for 18 years, served four terms as the state representative from Braintree. She is well-known to many NEWiRE members, having spoken at a NEWiRE Breakfast Program in 2006, sharing her thoughts on being the political director for governor Deval Patrick's successful run for office. In her current position, Auditor Bump has taken on a leadership, as well as an operational, challenge. She has implemented a peer review process with a number of incentives for goal-setting and team building among her staff, and has set a tone to reflect the stewardship of her position and her goals for making government more efficient, accountable and transparent. She implemented a new guiding set of principals under which Office of the State Auditor employees will work to achieve excellence in auditing. She reiterated and endorsed Barney Frank's words, "Government is the name we give to the things we do together." One of the most inspiring aspects of her speech was the theme of how women make history without realizing it. Every day, she said, women make a contribution to their work place, set an example of leadership for others in their organization, or help another woman to reach her goal. As president of NEWiRE, I know that our organization has hosted a successful event when a roomful of women leave inspired and invigorated. This year's Women in Government Reception was no exception. Please visit our website at www.newire.org for a complete listing of upcoming events and registration information. Janet Pirrello is a senior vice president at BayNorth Capital and the 2011-2012 President of New England Women in Real Estate (NEWiRE), Boston, Mass.