Jackie Mahi Erickson went into the field of law as a way to encourage other native Hawaiians to enter the profession and to advance legal decisions in favor of native Hawaiians. She made some headway toward those goals as a law clerk at Legal Aid and the Hawaii Supreme Court, and later as a deputy attorney general for the State of Hawaii.
But, when she was offered the job as legal counsel at Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. (HECO) over 25 years ago, she was faced with the question whether working at HECO would further those goals. Since there were not many in-house corporate legal departments in Hawaii at that time, and she had never given thought to working for big business, she could not really appreciate what her potential role would be.
But even more problematic for her, Erickson felt that the white, male-dominated HECO was anti-Hawaiian and not supportive of women in upper management. In making her decision, the native Hawaiian sought counsel from two influential people in her life: her mentor, Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court William S. Richardson, and her boss, the State of Hawaii Attorney General. Richardson was in favor of the move, and told her that she was fortunate to have received the offer, but more importantly, he pointed out that Hawaiians needed role models like her to demonstrate that they could succeed in law and in business.
“I decided that the challenge would be worth it, and my life preserver was given to me by my boss at the attorney general’s office, who said, ‘If it doesn’t work out, come back.’ ” She learned later that it was the attorney general who originally recommended her to HECO.
Even though she started with a “huge amount of trepidation,” today, Erickson is the vice president and general counsel of the company, which, along with its subsidiaries, provides electricity to 95 percent of the state’s 1.2 million residents on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, Lanai, and Molokai.
When asked what changed her perspective about HECO, Erickson replies, “When I came into the company, I was very surprised at how supportive many individuals in the company were to me, a female native Hawaiian, and I quickly learned that a lot of things I initially thought about the company were wrong. That kind of support is one of the reasons I am still here.”
Even with those barriers lowered, there were still internal challenges to overcome. Initially, Erickson found herself working alone in the legal department. “It is not too satisfying for a lawyer to be working as a traffic cop; that, as a solo, you end up being,” she observes. In addition, Erickson also had the responsibility of lobbying at all government levels.
The law department at HECO is now supported by eight attorneys, including Erickson, who says, “I primarily work as an executive dealing with broad-level strategic efforts.” Erickson’s day is comprised of making sure the legal matters are being addressed effectively and practically, but she can also be concerned with company-wide issues, like large power outages, claims, SEC filings, corporate governance and compliance, and public relations.
Erickson’s leadership traits include being flexible and having common sense. “I see things broadly. I am not a detailed person, but I look at things from a practical perspective, with a wide scope and some depth, and I am pretty good at understanding people,” she notes.
Erickson believes that a particular strength of hers is that she hires and develops fantastic people. “One of the jokes about me is that if you want to be an executive, ‘You better be under Jackie.’ ” This notion that she is a great mentor to her employees was also underscored when, under a reorganization, a customer service operations employee newly reporting to her said, “Finally, I get to go to Erickson U.” He later became HECO’s vice president of finance.
When asked for advice on how to get to where she is now, Erickson says, “If you are going to go into the business world, you better have some business background, which preferably includes finance. I do not have a financial background and I really wish that I did.” Erickson also places a high value on community service and a commitment to help clients accomplish what needs to be done. She hires people who demonstrate that they do, too.
On a personal level, Erickson attributes her success in part to a supportive husband and the fact that she does not require many hours of sleep. She finds balance with a range of interests, like travel, music, theater, golf, good food, and art. “Right now, the question most asked of me, since I am 66, is, ‘When are you going to retire?’ My question back to them is, ‘What for?’ ” Erickson says that every reason offered by those well-intentioned folks is that she would enjoy more time for travel or golf. She points out she can do all that now. “I really haven’t missed out, and I have a life that I love. I’m definitely one of the lucky people in this world.”
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From the July/August 2006 issue of Diversity & The Bar®