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18 | GRAVITAS MAGAZINE GravitasMag.com BELOW: Alex and her family at her father's 90th birthday. RIGHT: Alex campagining for Governor of Florida. to customer service. We had this saying that if our employees are happy, then they're going to provide the best service and make happy customers. Happy customers are going to make happy shareholders. e value that I try to follow is to really focus on what's the right thing to do, whether to help that man in the street or the voter that may not have a voice. How has the banking industry changed since you left? It's hard to believe that just 15 years ago I retired from what is now Bank of America. ere's so much more regulation. It's been an evolution in terms of the technology. I think we see a lot more women in the industry, but what we're not seeing much of are women in senior executive roles. ey're coming out of university very well educated and entering the workplace, but the young women of today are more concerned with work-life balance. ings that I did, like commute with two small babies between Miami and Tampa, live apart from my husband for many years, and accept transfers without complaint are not in the values of the young women I have come across today. How were you able to balance being a working mom and executive? I had an extremely supportive husband. I had a full-time nanny and a part-time housekeeper when the children were very young. My full- time nanny still works for me 20 years later, she is wonderful. We had a grandmother in town who would babysit the kids on the weekend. If you're going to be on a professional track, I've asked the other women…why are you working? You're working to write checks to other people to make your life easier. ere's nothing shameful about it. at's the choice I made. I love my children and I'm really proud of them. I have a son, Bert, who is a practicing lawyer now and my daughter, Lexi, will be a medical doctor in a few months. How important is the mission of the Florida Next Foundation and growing the next generation of entrepreneurs? I think I was inspired, actually, by the depth and the length of the Great Recession. As a result we had many young people who got their undergraduate degrees but couldn't find jobs. It created this opportunity for anybody who was entrepreneurial to say, "I'll start my own business." I just believe that we need to nurture entrepreneurship and support small businesses here in Florida. Let's get back to growing our own, creating that entrepreneurial environment and raise capital. ere's a big disconnect between the matching of people with wealth and these creators, so that's the focus for me the last four years. How do you view your life and career today with all that you have accomplished? When I came back to Tampa from Tallahassee and was sort of disappointed about that election (2010 gubernatorial race against Rick Scott), I had to step back. I was totally invested in my vision for what Florida could be, and I just had to accept the fact that, well, that didn't work out. at doesn't mean that I can't, on some smaller scale, work on my vision. I've been trying to use my voice to promote causes I think are important for Florida. I wake up every morning and figure my goal for the day to do a good deed to help somebody else be successful. Just making myself available to impart my knowledge and my experience, and hopefully inspire. I recently got involved in a young leadership-training program called e National New Leaders Council. It's my responsibility to teach other people what I've learned and what I know about organizations and running political campaigns and how to manage a successful business career. Would you ever step back onto the political stage? I don't have any plans. I never thought I was going to run for office. I was going to help other people run for office, because I was in the middle of building a successful business career. In some respects, I think I can spread my influence more at this point in my life by helping other people into those positions. en I can sit back in the corner and just be proud of their success and accomplishments. You mourned the sudden loss of your husband, Bill, on a very public stage. How are you honoring his life and legacy? I think that Bill was just...he was special. He was one of a kind and packed more into those 67 years than most people can pack into 100, leaving a long-lasting legacy behind. at being said, for me, I need to step forward. I don't like being in a rut. I haven't exactly figured out how to build a new life for myself yet, but that will come. We also put together a fund in Bill's memory at the University of Florida Law School called the Bill McBride Public Interest Scholarship. is fund is permanently endowed for two law school students to do summer internships in public policy or at a non-profit. What does your best life look like today? My balanced life would be spending time in the for-profit world, whether it's Chamber of Commerce or serving on the board of a community bank to ensure that corporate policies are people-friendly and advancing causes that are important to me like the environment, education, and what we're doing in Florida Next Foundation. e other piece of it, and I haven't figured it out yet, is just my personal life. Continuing to be a good and supportive mother and just enjoy taking vacations and relaxing and enjoying my place in the Bahamas. My 91-year-old father is still alive and I think about taking care of my family for the future, but having fun too, you know? D Continued from page 17

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