Full name: Wendy Pick Herschman
Title: Executive Director
Company: The Red Shoes, Non-profit
Age: 56
Hometown: New Orleans
Why do you do what you do?
I love the community The Red Shoes builds around education, empowerment and understanding. Helping people, primarily women, emerge with a greater sense of who they are and the potential they have to change the world is important to me.
What is your greatest professional accomplishment?
Each time I sense that a heart has been touched or a mind opened to the responsibilities and possibilities of life, I feel connected to my sense of purpose. My greatest accomplishments are made one person at a time.
What was your first job?
I worked in my dad’s office, IPIK Door Company in New Orleans.
What is the best advice you've ever received?
Listen to others, there is something to learn from everyone you meet.
Who do you most admire in the local business community and why?
I admire the women entrepreneurs we are working with in our Lifting Loans micro-loan program. They are trying to live their dreams.
If you could have any job other than your own, what would it be?
I love what I do but I would also want to work in a capacity to effect meaningful change in the public school system.
What is the greatest personal or professional obstacle you've overcome?
Time, I have 4 wonderful children, a patient husband and a dog - I have always needed more than 24 hours to include everything I want to do.
If you started over, what would you do differently?
Nothing.
What is your prescription for life?
Act in harmony with your belief system, at home and at work. Follow a path that supports your values and surround yourself with people who respect and bring out the best in you.
What book are you currently reading?
Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann
If you could have dinner with any three living people, who would they be? (Authors? Leaders?)
Marian Wright Edelman, Michelle Obama, Paul McCartney
Who would play you in a movie?
I don’t know, but someone (Julie Betz, my assistant) suggested Sally Field.
What do you do to unwind?
Walk my dog, Spanky.
What is the most expensive purchase you've made for yourself?
Our home.
What is your favorite weekend activity?
Traveling to Boston to see our one and only grandson.
What's your theme song?
"All You Need is Love"
What's your favorite spot in Baton Rouge?
The Old State Capitol.
How do you take your coffee/tea?
Coffee and chicory with hot milk and Splenda.
What is your favorite movie? TV show? Band?
Favorite Band: The Beatles, Movie: Funny Girl
What is your favorite gadget?
My bluetooth for my phone.
What is something that you can't live without?
Good coffee, my family and my dog – and a good internet connection.
If you could change one thing about Baton Rouge, what would it be?
I would love to see a new and creative approach to public education that brought internationally recognized best practices to the children growing up in Baton Rouge.
What is your greatest hope for Baton Rouge?
I hope Baton Rouge will realize that to become the next great city, we need an infrastructure built on progressive thinking that includes respect and appreciation for all members of our community, as well as for our environment.
What is your greatest fear for Baton Rouge?
That we will cling to an old mindset as we try to move into a new era.
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