THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 17, 1995 TAG: 9508160150
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 212 lines
ON HER SECOND DAY in office as the newly installed president of the Virginia Jaycees, Gerry Roth faced her first crisis.
A group of bingo operators threatened to sue the state organization for supposedly breaking a contract.
It was just the sort of situation Roth, a 35-year-old bank vice president in Norfolk, had been dreading ever since fellow members first approached her about taking on the top post.
They had warned her that heading an organization of 6,100 politically astute young professionals in 120 disparate chapters throughout the state might be an overwhelming task, commanding most of her time and all of her energies. She knew some members were less than thrilled that a woman had taken over the reins of the former bastion of professional male chumminess. She was, after all, only the second woman in the 75-year history of the Virginia Jaycees to serve as president.
But fending off a potential lawsuit on the second day in office? She hadn't even had time to recover from the election.
Anxious, yet determined, Roth decided the only way to handle the situation was to plow ahead and use some of the leadership techniques she had learned during her years with the Jaycees. After consulting with the organization's professional staff, the new president made a few phone calls, asked some questions and surveyed the parties involved. Within a few hours, the bingo operators had backed off, putting an end to the potentially volatile situation.
When it was over, Roth discovered she possessed an unshakable reserve of quiet, calm confidence.
``I didn't freak out as much as I thought I would,'' she admitted with a shy smile. ``Those first two weeks on the job were a pure nightmare, but since then, there really haven't been any bad days. Once you ask a lot of questions and find out what's going on, it's not so bad. I'm still not too thrilled with public speaking . . . but I'm learning.''
Although Roth may have been surprised at how adeptly she handled the situation, her advocates were not.
``She's got very good leadership skills,'' explained Beth McOsker, a former president of the Virginia Beach Jaycees who now serves as Roth's chief of staff. ``She sets a plan in motion and sees that plan through, from start to finish. People know she's honest, and she'll work to make the Jaycees a better organization so that it will still be around for other young adults 10 years from now.''
``Gerry is very committed to the Jaycees,'' added Bill Shriver, current president of the Norfolk chapter. ``She is someone who wants things done right detail-oriented.''
Added Gary Bonnewell, a former Norfolk chapter president and one of Roth's earliest proponents: ``If you want something done, Gerry will do it. You don't ever have to worry about it being done right. She's a good manager of time and people. Those kind of people are very hard to come by.''
Slightly reserved, yet openly friendly, Roth never really aspired to the ``overwhelming task'' of overseeing the Virginia Jaycees. At first, she wasn't even sure she wanted to become a member of the organization.
A business graduate of Old Dominion University, Roth was working at Crestar Bank in the mid-'80s when the U.S. Supreme Court mandated that the Jaycees open their membership to women. Organizations around the country, including those in Hampton Roads, had developed an offshoot group for women, called The Jayceettes, but the court decided there could be no gender separation.
Not long afterward, a friend, who was already a Jaycee, asked Roth to attend a meeting of the Norfolk chapter. She begged off. The friend tried again. Once more, Roth found excuses. The friend kept asking; Roth kept hedging. Eventually, out of excuses, Roth finally agreed to attend a meeting.
She joined that same night, even volunteering to help out with the group's annual Christmas community service project. Just as they had done for years, the Norfolk Jaycees planned to take a group of underprivileged children shopping at a local department store to buy Christmas presents.
``All their projects just sounded so worthwhile . . . I couldn't help from getting involved,'' she now recalls. ``That Christmas project really got to me.''
By signing on as a member when she did, Roth became one of the first females to join the Norfolk chapter, one of the state's oldest and most active.
From the beginning, Roth was hooked, literally throwing herself into the organization's various community service projects and activities. She also embraced the leadership training program the group offered its members.
Early on, Bonnewell recognized Roth's potential for leadership.
Back then, ``Gerry was a very shy, timid person who was very bright but hadn't enjoyed some of the experiences she might have because she was so shy,'' said Bonnewell, a Norfolk stockbroker who headed the chapter in 1986 and '87. ``But she's always been very driven.
``It's been rewarding to me to watch her develop her skills.''
Three years after Roth's first meeting, the members voted her the chapter's first female president. In a group where ``very little changes,'' she reluctantly admits it was a milestone.
``Some of the guys didn't like it,'' recalled Roth, a Long Island, N.Y., native. ``In fact, one told me I ruined the chapter. He said, `Now you won't let us go to the topless bars anymore.' I think any female would have gotten that reaction.
``I don't see myself as any kind of pioneer for women's rights.''
Undaunted by the harassment of some male hard-liners, Roth found a camaraderie among many other members, who, like her, were interested in acquiring leadership training through community service. Soon, ``all my friends were Jaycees,'' she admits. ``It became like a fraternity, but with women and men.''
Noted Bonnewell: ``It wasn't as though we had to have a woman president. (She) is a person who has accomplished abilities and qualifications who got the job on the merits of those ac-complishments.''
As she became more involved with the Jaycees, Roth took on additional responsibilities. In the early '90s, she served as a regional director, then as a member of the state executive committee. After successfully tackling those assignments, the leadership began grooming Roth to take on the state presidency.
But then Roth, a Virginia Beach resident, backed off. The Jaycees' political scene was getting wearisome.
``These people could compete with the Republican Party,'' she candidly acknowledged. ``They make deals with each other; they back candidates. I'm not really into the deals and politics.''
Two years ago, however, lured back by the Jaycees' community projects and the friendships she developed with members, a refreshed Roth returned to the organization with a renewed dedication.
So, when several members asked her again last spring to run for the organization's top state job, she finally agreed, though still with some trepidation.
``I figured I'd go ahead and get it over with,'' she recalled.
By all accounts, Roth is not a political animal. She announced her candidacy just two weeks before the election in May, after it became apparent no one else really wanted to take on the job. Friends say she agonized over the decision, vacillating almost daily on whether she should run.
Her fellow members are thankful she did.
``Gerry inherited a lot of baggage from previous presidents,'' Shriver explained. ``She walked into a swarm of hornets. She doesn't care for the politics of the job. But she's learning very quickly to turn and walk away. What are they going to do? Fire her? They know she's the one who's going to get them out of the mess they've gotten themselves into.''
``The mess'' he refers to involves the Jaycees' fragile finances, its declining membership and programs that don't always get the most bang from the money that is spent.
As part of her campaign platform, Roth promised to improve communications between the state and local chapters, help build strength in the state's newest chapters and promote financial responsibility within the organization and the programs chapters sponsor.
Her message and low-keyed approach found support among both the rural and urban chapters, Shriver said.
``Everyone seems to like Gerry,'' he said. ``She's well-liked and well-respected by all chapters, which is rare. Everyone knows she's committed.''
Noted Bonnewell: ``Gerry is not motivated by filling blocks on her resume. She's got a great commitment to the Jaycee organization, of what it means and how it can help people. She's been a direct beneficiary of what she preaches.''
Still, being in the forefront of the organization, with all its weighty responsibilities and public appearances, still makes Roth uncomfortable and a little anxious. She would much rather spend her free time lounging on a beach or playing softball with friends.
But fellow members say Roth is dedicated to the Jaycees and believes she can make a difference. In addition to being only the second female head the Virginia Jaycees, she is the first person from Hampton Roads to hold the post in more than 14 years. The last Norfolk Jaycee to hold the post was Gustave Snyder, who served in 1946 and '47.
``Sometimes she can be hard to get along with,'' admitted McOsker, the 1994-95 president of the Virginia Beach chapter. ``When she has a strong belief in something, she does not give. But everyone knows the Jaycees are foremost in her heart. She's dedicated to this organization. It is not what the end result will be for Gerry. It's what the end result will be for the Jaycees. She will work hard for the organization.'' Apparently, work will be the optimum word. Over the next year, as Roth, who is single, travels throughout the state visiting Jaycees chapters and representing Virginia at national conventions, meetings and such special events as the anniversary of the United Nations, she expects little time of her own.
``Someone told me that this year would be 52 weekends away from home,'' she said. ``So far, I believe it. It's constantly something.
``But when I know something has to be done, I do it. And I know once things smooth down, this job should be fun. I have a lot of support to do this. With everyone's help, I figure I'll get the job done.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Cover]
LEADER OF LEADERS
[Color Photo]
Gerry Roth
Staff photo by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Beth Stevens, president of the Virginia Beach Jaycees, left, talks
with Gerry Roth at a Beach chapter meeting.
Staff photo by MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN
When Gerry Roth takes a break from heading up the Virginia Jaycees,
she enjoys playing softball.
Staff photo by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Gerry Roth presents a program that aims to stop youths from
smoking.
KEYWORDS: PROFILE by CNB