Shattering the Glass Ceiling with Bits and Bytes
By Marti Goodlad Heline
honorary degree recipient Frances Craig ’64 at this year’s Commencement.
When Frances Bardello Craig graduated in 1964 with her degree in mathematics from Saint Mary’s College, she was confident and ready to take on the fledgling field of computer technology. It was after all, the mid-20th century, the time when the counterculture revolution was taking hold in the US and challenging the norms under which Craig was raised. In those critical young-adult years, Saint Mary’s had taught her that success and community could be found when people shared values and a common goal.
The alumna soon discovered that this culture of support and community hadn’t yet found its way to the business world, at least not for women. Armed with confidence and intelligence, Craig began to push through corporate boundaries—bringing with her along the way as many women as she could—as she advanced in the male-dominated industry, until eventually founding her own computer software company.
Now, a recent $5 million gift to endow The Frances Bardello Craig ’64 Leadership Program in Mathematics and Computer Science at Saint Mary’s will help generations of women reach new heights in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields. It will include student research, internships, and other learning experiences, with a focus on leadership roles. The program will also include an endowed professorship and will support faculty professional development. Craig’s gift is part of a comprehensive fundraising campaign in support of the College’s strategic vision to be a national leader in empowering women at all stages of life. Craig serves as a member of the campaign’s executive committee.
Blazing a Trail
In her retirement, Craig now reflects on those early years—long before she founded her own company—as manageable, but full of challenges. She knew, as a graduate of an all-women’s college, that women belonged in tech. They brought energy and instinct to the industry in ways that were not fully recognized at the time. But there was built-in misogyny at nearly every turn.
For example, in her first job at a large telecommunications company, Craig discovered that women were accepted as lower-level management while their male counterparts were regularly placed at the mid-management level. Men quickly moved up to the highest level, the Junior Executive Training program. Women rarely advanced.
Then, there were the HR issues. Questions asked of women in job interviews at the time would be surprising to today’s graduates. “They asked me if I was married or if I was going to be married or if I was engaged,” Craig said. “They asked some of my friends who were married, ‘Are you pregnant? Are you going to be pregnant?’ Those kinds of things you would not ask today.”
In fact, it is illegal to do so.
Despite receiving good training from her employer, Craig and several female colleagues were disenchanted over the promotion opportunities there, and left when they received job offers from other companies. “We were a hot asset because we knew computer programming,” Craig recalled. She went to work for a small technology company, a role that included 18 months in Italy. She loved it but found it was not easy for a woman to do business there.
Later, at Carnegie Mellon University, Craig worked in two computer departments. “As a supervisor, I didn’t get any training (in managing people), so I didn’t know how to do certain things, like conduct performance reviews,” she said. She asked for help at the university’s graduate school of industrial relations and was told to pick 10 categories and grade her staffers on them from 1-10. When Craig met with her team to go over their reviews, the answers between the women on her team and the men were striking.
“Women asked, ‘What could I do better?’ while the men said ‘I should have gotten a 10’,” Craig recalls. “It was so black and white. All the men wanted 10s and the ladies wanted to know how to improve.”
Saint Mary's gave me the idea of community.
– Frances Craig '64
So Craig started The Women’s Task Force at Carnegie Mellon to help women like herself better understand how to get ahead in business. The group met monthly, inviting speakers who would share insights on key business issues, while also providing support for each other.
Moving Forward
With a couple of decades under her belt in varying levels of management and strategy, Craig decided it was time to launch her own business. In 1988, she started Computer Strategies from her home in northern Virginia, not far from Washington, DC. It was designed to help businesses implement technology strategically in their everyday operations. From small, straightforward jobs to complex projects for large corporations, Craig’s company began to grow as they provided consultation and development of technical solutions and processes for their clients. In doing so, Craig was capitalizing on a rare moment
in time.
Craig built relationships with other Washington-area CEOs when she was invited to participate in Mindshare, Inc., a small cohort of 50 people that supported and learned from each other. “We essentially earned a mini-MBA,” she said. As one of only two women in her group, Craig said she had no trouble with male colleagues taking her seriously; she had earned it. In fact, many bought her software products for their companies.
Relationships also helped Craig’s company get into selling to government contractors after the dot.com bubble burst in March 2000 and caused a downturn for her industry. Her company continued to develop and expand. “I was always looking for a software product to develop,” she said. “I had been in technology; and I loved what technology could do.”
Another focus for Craig in those early years at Computer Strategies was communication. There was a mandatory meeting for all employees every Friday. In the beginning, it was four or five people having bagels at Craig’s dining room table. Everyone had the opportunity to voice anything at every meeting. As more employees were added, and the every person/every meeting model became impractical, they were given the floor at least once a year. The company’s culture was to use ‘positive speak’ rather than using “no” or “not” or negative statements, Craig said. “It made a very positive group and a supportive work atmosphere.”
“This all came from Saint Mary’s, about people working to help each other and having a common vision,’ Craig noted. “I would tell our employees, ‘We will shoot this thing into the sky and help everyone in the world.’”
Her company implemented a mentor system to help young people do well. This was in part, Craig said, “because I never really had a mentor.” Since she lacked mentors in her early career, Craig made such support a priority for her employees.
The company kept growing and became Unanet. Through it all, Craig never wanted to stop working. “I enjoyed what I was doing. I enjoyed working with people and solving business problems of customers without software,” she said.
In 2019, Craig and her management team decided that even more growth could come from investors and it was time to seek an investment. At that time, Unanet had roughly 160 employees. Craig is pleased the company still has the Unanet name and has grown substantially to more than 450 employees.
Better Culture, Better Business
Craig credits her experiences at Saint Mary’s for preparing her to meet the demands of starting a company in a fast-moving field.
“That was the big thing; it gave me confidence and it gave me skills,” she said. “Saint Mary’s gave me the idea of community and how you work with people.” Her vision focused on her employees rather than the customers. “If employees are treated well, they will treat customers well,” she said.
Craig was recognized at this year’s Commencement. In presenting her with an honorary degree, President Katie Conboy recognized Craig’s success in building a strong corporate culture. “In your words, Fran: ‘Better culture, better business’,” Conboy said. “You discovered that strategic planning, community, communications and collaboration were the mind, heart, body and spirit of a high-functioning business. And you knew that empowering people who felt like owners—not renters—was a key to people’s investment in the success of the whole.”
Having close ties to Saint Mary’s is one place Craig found inspiration. Classmate and close friend Denise Cavanaugh ’64 was a sounding board and resource as she was developing her company and working on strategic planning and other business matters, Craig said. Mathematics professor Milko Jeglic was another influence on Craig. She recalled that at a senior banquet Jeglic advised that life was not just about work and working hard, but having fun at your work.
“That was an inspiration to me,” said Craig. “Saying to people you should have fun. And I always had fun at work.”
Of her recent gift to the Saint Mary’s Math and Computer Science program, Craig said it is philanthropy that inspires her today—giving back her time and resources in the areas of women and technology. “The mission of the Sisters of the Holy Cross is to empower women to go out into the field and do good work.”
presenting the largest class gift to the College at June’s Reunion.
Craig’s connection to Saint Mary’s continues today with students. Her willingness to help them in any way she can is evident whenever she comes on campus. Craig will connect with students, even those she just met. “Women make the world a lot better because we are better than men at resolving issues,” she said. “What I am seeking to do is
have women empowered so they can make this world better.”
In addition to Saint Mary’s College, Craig lends her support to several other institutions including the Northern Virginia Science Center; STEM for Her, an organization that promotes opportunities for girls and young women; and the Women’s Center of Washington, D.C., which supports mental health counseling. Craig also supports the Loudoun County, Va., symphony because of her love for music.
Recently, Unanet’s current CEO lauded Craig. “Fran is not only a visionary in the business world but also a trailblazer who has left an indelible mark on both our company and our wider community,” said Craig Halliday. “She embodies the spirit of entrepreneurship, demonstrating what true leadership looks like. Fran is also a pioneer as a leader,” he continued. ”Since her early days at Carnegie Mellon University, she has been fighting for equal opportunities for women in technology and entrepreneurship. She’s been an active participant in mentoring programs.”
In addition to her philanthropy, Craig does keynote speeches and business talks, and she provides advice. “I am really good at giving advice,” Craig said with a smile.
To relax or have fun, Craig enjoys golf, playing bridge, attending the symphony, reading about women who have succeeded in business, and traveling frequently all over the world. Italy is a favorite spot and New Zealand is scheduled for next year. In the past year, she has also been to Hawaii, on a Saint Mary’s trip from Scotland to Norway, and she was in Lake Tahoe for a few weeks after Reunion weekend.
But no matter where she travels, Craig carries with her the spirit and empowerment she draws from her time at Saint Mary’s. Generously, she has chosen to pay it forward to future Belles. ‖
