2024

Paula Silver

SVP, Corporate Communications/Corporate Citizenship & DTE Foundation, DTE Energy

“As a society it would be amazing to have EVERYONE conform to a standard of morality.”

In your opinion, what qualities make a “Power Woman”?

In my opinion, you can’t be powerful if you’re not good at what you do. If you’re good at what you do you’ll reap success. Success means influence…influence to help others like ourselves to be powerful women, whether it be through mentorship, etc. I’m a pay it forward Power Woman.

The polarized society in the US today seems to threaten our democratic values if not our democracy itself. What actions can we take to bring the various factions together?

I think it all starts with and hinges on a mindset…one that takes our collective humanity into consideration. We need to inject open mindedness, grace and kindness into our actions.

With all the different issues one could focus on (e.g. gun violence, child poverty etc.), is the pursuit of gender equality the most pressing in today’s world?

YES!!! Especially when you consider that many of the issues facing our world today often impact women more than men. The number of women being killed or battered by men is on the rise, for instance. And child poverty often lies at the feet of women who aren’t educated or able to earn a fair wage or afford childcare. Health wise, heart disease kills more women than men, and kills more women than all cancers combined. But less dollars are spent on women’s health issues than on men’s health issues.

What do you think is the number one action we as a society can take toward empowering women and gender equality? (e.g. affirmative action)?

Vote.

Can you tell us a short story in which you encountered a block due to your gender?

My mother taught me I could do anything I wanted to do.She had a major influence in my life when it came to my choices. So in the 1980s…as a young corporate communicator in a white male-dominated automotive industry in Detroit I was overlooked for a promotion because I wasn’t a man. I was more than qualified and brought more to the table. I could have stayed there and been second fiddle. But not me. I left to take a higher level position at another company. And when I was told “no” again, I left—again—to take a better position. My career skyrocketed by my inability to accept “no.”

Do you think that asking previous salary requirements in job interviews contributes to the pay gap between women and men? Should we push for a nationwide ban?

YES!!! Absolutely. It’s critical we remove any and all barriers that place women secondary to men and in the pursuit of equality.

There are many studies that support the assertion that a female presence in the boardroom increases the bottom line and leads to healthier work environments. What can we do to continue to support and enhance the growth to and presence of women in high profile positions?

We need to talk with our pocketbooks/wallets—demand more female presence in the boardroom and more female corporate leaders. Being disruptors to corporations’ business models by not purchasing products, by organizing boycotts, etc., can achieve results. Companies worry about their bottom line more than their diverse boardrooms.

Was there a defining moment or experience in your life that led you to where you are today? What was it?

I am a writer; I love words. But as a child I don’t think I knew how it was presented in my life. It was a fifth grade teacher who pulled me over after I submitted an essay in English class one day and told me I had a gift I should pursue. That observation, conversation and encouragement led me to my career choice. I obtained a degree in journalism. And while I did not ultimately reach my dream job—political correspondent for the New York Times—I did use my skill set to become the chief communications officer of a Fortune 250 company. I have reached the top position that I am qualified for at my company of choice.

Have you seen changes in the political landscape for women over the past few years? If so, what are they?

The fact that we have our second female candidate for the US Presidency speaks volumes. More and more women are being elected into political positions these days. The inequitable field is tilting, finally. In my home state of Michigan, we are fortunate to have a female governor (Gov. Gretchen Whitmer), two female US senators, a female attorney general and a female secretary of state.

Is “Education, education and education” one of the top three responsibilities of a civilized society? If so why is it prohibitively expensive?

Expensive? I would counter that we don’t invest enough in teachers’ salaries, in infrastructure, in curriculum improvements, in testing. We need to dedicate more dollars to educating our children, ALL children, in the same manner. The Detroit public school child should have the same advantages that children in private schools have.

If you could have someone else’s job for a day, who and what would it be? Why?
It depends on the day….these days I would like to have Benjamin Netanyahu’s job so that I could agree to a ceasefire in the Middle East. Or Vladimir Putin’s job so that I could pull my troops out of Ukraine and invest $$$ to rebuild the country’s infrastructure and housing. Come January 22, I would like to have Kamala Harris’ job.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Don’t ever accept “No.” (And I don’t.)

What is your favorite book (fiction or nonfiction)?

I LOVE The World According to Garp. I just do! Nothing better than a “laugh out loud” read.

What do you most value in your friends?

Grace, a thousand percent! Why? My career consumes me. My oldest and dearest friends left careers to raise their families decades ago and never returned to the workplace. As a result, many now, as empty nesters, have a lot of time and want to spend it with me. That doesn’t happen very often, regrettably, due to my work schedule. There’s always a crisis happening at a public utility. When I can find time in my schedule it’s not unusual for me to also be taking a call from my CEO or handling yet another brand issue/hit. The leisure time I have I focus on my family, my husband, children and young grandchildren.

Which trait do you most uncomfortable in yourself? In others?

When I asked my husband how he would describe me using just one word, he immediately spat out “Alpha!” While I was slightly taken back at how fast he found the word, I couldn’t take issue with it. I am in charge most times. I am quickly and successfully decisive, and as such I tend to know almost instantly the right move to make and I make it. That would be construed by some (including my husband, it seems) as being a control freak. I need control, thus the Alpha reference. This trait makes me feel uncomfortable at times, especially in my personal life, when I want to control the time and place I see my family members, all the way to which table I sit at a restaurant and where we have to sit in a movie theater. I would like to start exercising some release here, letting the need to control go a bit. And maybe let someone else make a decision here or there…as long as I can sit where I want. 😊

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Sorry….sounds like a trick question to me. But their nature, can a virtue be overrated? As a society it would be amazing to have EVERYONE conform to a standard of morality. All you have to do is turn on the radio/tv or read a media outlet to know that is not the case. Our world would be a much better place if we coveted Aristotle’s, Confucius’ and even Pope Gregory’s take on virtues (maybe chastity is slightly overrated?) and lived them daily.