Page 95 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2016

Julie Gresham
Shannon Wall
rewards. “My greatest reward comes from being around the people I work with and helping others,” Hansen said.
As Senior Counsel and Director of Compliance at Huntington Ingalls Industries, Julie Gresham’s advice to young women is, “Work hard — then work harder. Nothing replaces hard work. An impressive résumé or a good first impression may get you in the door, but hard work is the only thing that will keep you there.”
Gresham is a graduate of Pascagoula High School, obtained a degree in Speech Communication from the University of Southern Mississippi and a law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law. Prior to joining Ingalls, she was in private practice 13 years.
“I have never met a woman attorney who doesn’t have some horrible story about someone asking her if she was the court reporter or the secretary,” she recounts. “Most also have an equally horrible story about someone saying something discriminatory or sexist to them. I distinctly remember a judge referring to me on the record as ‘the observer in the back of the room.’ It took me several minutes before I realized he was referring to me. I never allowed those people or moments to slow me down.”
Shannon Wall reached a milestone this year when she was named president/publisher of the Sun Herald daily newspaper — the first woman to hold this position. She is responsible for the overall operations of the company and
to their continued growth in the digital world.
“However, I feel my most important responsibility is the
development and growth of our employees,” she said. “I really want our employees to enjoy coming to work; be passionate about what they do and be successful in their field.”
In her professional career, she feel she’s been treated with respect. “My greatest professional challenge thus far has been overcoming the fact that I did not complete my college education. However, earlier in my career when I was in
the casino industry, it was very challenging to balance my family and career, but with the help of so many people, I was able to be successful.”
Her advice for young women just beginning careers is to be confident in themselves and don’t be afraid to speak up. “It can be intimidating at times, and you have to be willing to take risks and work hard, but at the end of the day, if you are confident in the decisions you make and the direction you are heading, you can be successful,” she said.
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net
September 2016 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 95