Watching the First Family-elect decide on schools for their daughters got me thinking about mine. Malia Obama is 10. Maddie Falk is 10. It will be fun to watch Malia develop into a teen and perhaps a woman before a new president moves into the White House. I will compare and contrast her growth and development to my daughter. Both girls face promising futures. Both will most likely go off to college, maybe graduate school, then find a career which they enjoy, and hopefully marry and raise a family - not necessarily in that order.

It is a good time to be female in this country. Career and lifestyle choices for women are endless. Didn’t always used to be so. My mother, now 68, had two career options: nursing or teaching. She became a teacher. Her mom had one career choice: housewife. Grandma was expected to stay home and raise the family. Grandma was a delightful woman – a wonderful mother, for certain, talented in the kitchen and addicted to tv soap operas. I wonder what she would have become if she had pursued interests outside of the home.

The women’s liberation movement in the 1960s and ‘70s energized and organized a generation of young women to think creatively about futures that weren’t mapped out for them. Many women chose not to have children so that they could have not just a job, but a career. They wanted to impact a little corner of the world outside of the home. I know several women who chose careers over families and now feel some - if not much - regret for not experiencing motherhood. They paid a dear price to path the way for us working mothers today.

I thank those women for their sacrifice. And I salute all the Milwaukee-area women who have been advocates for women in the workforce over the years. Many of the most vocal ones belong to TEMPO Milwaukee, an organization that helps further positions of leadership for women in our community.

For 19 years, TEMPO Milwaukee , through its Mentor Awards program, has celebrated strong professional women who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to helping other women achieve personal and professional potential. This year’s winners are Beverly Greenberg, vice president of public affairs for the Milwaukee Division of Time Warner Cable, and Susan Ela R.N., is senior vice president of Aurora Health Care – two amazing women making a difference in the lives and futures of other women.

Bev and Susan will be recognized on Thursday, February 19, 2009, at The Pfister Hotel As part of the recognition, Bev and Susan will designate a college or university to receive a scholarship for a woman in her junior or senior year. This year TEMPO Milwaukee will award two $5,000 scholarships, bringing its scholarship total to $100,000 since 1990. For more information about TEMPO and the Mentor Awards, visit www.TempoMentorEvent.org