Photo by Collin Richie
Hometown: Ferriday, by way of Frogmore
Age: 49
Family: Married to husband, Michael W., with three stepchildren: Maria, 43, Mieshia, 37, and Michael B., 35
Profession: Medicaid territory marketing manager, Healthy Blue
Years with company: 6
When Kathy Victorian was an undergraduate student at Southern University studying broadcast journalism, she envisioned becoming a journalist, anchoring the newscast for a TV station. Life, however, didn’t follow that plan, but she took the opportunities presented to her, leading, she says, to a career of stepping stones.
Those stones have led her down a meandering path. After graduating with her master’s degree from Southern in 1992, she initially became a communications specialist for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. Since then, she’s held positions with more than a dozen nonprofits, several private organizations, a church and spent nearly three years as the first and only executive director of the Baton Rouge Black Chamber of Commerce.
Yet for Victorian, it’s not so much about the job or the title, but how she can affect the community that matters.
As both president of the Junior League of Baton Rouge as well as the wife of 100 Black Men President Michael Victorian, she played a critical role in working to bridge the racial and cultural divides of numerous groups and organizations across the city following the July 2016 police shooting death of Alton Sterling.
Beverly Brooks Thompson, another member of this year’s Influential Women in Business class, says Victorian served as a much-needed community leader during that tumultuous time. Baton Rouge would not have come together so quickly, says Thompson, had Kathy not shown patience and a willingness to listen while speaking with “grace and confidence about the monumental challenges of race, poverty, incarceration, education and divisiveness.”
“The civil unrest that was taking place in our city, it was having an effect on all of us,” Victorian says. “Having hard conversations is not easy, but you never conquer what you don’t confront and I always confront with compassion.”
Throughout her career, Victorian says she’s always kept in mind that she’s setting an example for others. “So I’m always mindful of what I say and how I say it, and I always try my best to say it with love and meaning.”
As the 10th of 11 children, Victorian credits her mother as being both her “pusher” and coach while growing up and as an undergrad in college. The more her mom pushed, Victorian, rather than shutting her out, listened even more intently. “It’s best to just listen than to talk yourself out of something,” says Victorian, adding, “When I graduated in 1990, I handed her the degree because that degree was for her. The rest of my degrees were for myself.”
The advice she would give to any young person, whether they’re volunteering or trying to move up in their career, is to never follow money. “Because sometimes money is not worth losing your peace,” Victorian says. “Money is fabulous, but peace is priceless.”
Milestones
1992: Graduates from Southern University with a master’s in mass communication
2002: Starts her own business, Innovative Apparel Manufacturing
2006: Is named executive director of the Baton Rouge Black Chamber of Commerce
2011: Becomes a Medicaid Territory Marketing Manager for Healthy Blue Louisiana
2016: Plays a key role keeping emotions under control and limiting the spread of racial unrest following the July police shooting death of Alton Sterling
2016: Becomes president of Junior League of Baton Rouge
Q&A
A life-changing experience
Having to shut the doors to my company. I literally had to start over, losing some pretty important material things, like my home, car and medical insurance coverage. But I didn’t lose my dignity or self-worth. As the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche famously said, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”
Best advice received
You cannot conquer what you don’t confront, but when you confront; show compassion and not be combative.
First experience as a leader
A Girl Scout leader at my church many moons ago. These young and impressionable minds looked to me for guidance, so I used that opportunity to bond with them and get to know who they were becoming. The best part was we became a stronger unit and focused on completion, not competition. It worked out pretty well because today these young ladies are teachers, doctors, lawyers, amazing moms and overall incredible women.
Meet the other 9 members of this year’s Influential Women in Business class
