Where possibility meets purpose: President Mantella shares her story at Women’s Commission event

"Learning is just a disciplined way of engaging with complexity," Mantella said. "I think college provided me a rhythm of inquiry, a framework for testing ideas and a community of dialogue that was very different from communities I'd been a part of and a structure for feedback and revision. In other words, not just answers but a way to generate better questions."

The question of career and family is a big one for anyone, but especially for women. Family is not a single decision: it's a continuous one. "For me, family is not an accessory to my work life, nor is my work accessory to my family," Mantella said.

Mantella's career spans from business to student affairs to higher education, which gave her the understanding and experience needed to be a successful leader. She said there are three keys to be a leader: confidence, clarity and humility.

"You know, no one prepares you to be a university president in a relatively small city," said Mantella. "No one prepares you for when the fire alarm rings in your building and you're down on the street in your pajamas, and somebody wants to take a selfie with you. You're a person that people know."