Talent for Leadership

Beth McGee considers herself to be the "least talented" of her four siblings. She has a brother who is an author, a brother who is an artist, a sister who is a singer and a sister who operates a camp for gifted children. "Then there's me," she says with a chuckle.

But McGee, 45, may in fact have the most impressive-and most practical-talent of all. She has an uncanny ability to analyze complex issues, achieve consensus and lead large, sometimes contentious groups in which men have traditionally called the shots.

After eight years at the helm of the Volusia Home Builders Association, McGee is the new executive officer of the Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando, a Maitland-based organization that represents the interests of builders and developers in booming Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties.

She is the first woman to head the organization, now the largest of its kind in the state, since it was chartered in 1953. Although women have for years served as executive officers of smaller associations, it is thought that McGee is the only woman in the nation to hold the top staff position at an association with the size-and the clout-of Metro Orlando.

But McGee, who has a vivacious personality and a hearty laugh, doesn't accept the suggestion that her gender has made the slightest bit of difference. "It's just never been an issue," she says. "I don't think this industry is just a man's world anymore. If I do a good job, it doesn't matter."

In fact, this marks McGee's second stint with the local HBA. The first began in 1989, when she was hired as a technical assistant in governmental affairs. As a recent UCF graduate with a degree in political science, she was thrilled to have a job "where I could use what I'd gone to school to study in a local setting."

Over the next six years, she moved her way up to governmental affairs director and became an expert in the issues of most concern to builders-particularly impact fees. Those are fees assessed by local governments on new homes, in theory to pay for infrastructure needs caused by growth.

However, opponents say that such fees, which add thousands of dollars to the price of a new home, are being used as a repercussion-free revenue source by politicians who are unwilling to adequately fund services for existing residents.

Dealing with such complex and volatile issues, McGee adopted a philosophy that is essential in being a successful association leader.

"I think all of us are smarter than one of us," she says. "I truly enjoy conversation and debate. That's how we come to the best idea, the best plan, the best course of action. No one person has all the answers."

McGee was so well regarded that in 1996, Volusia County offered her the executive officer's post. During her tenure-under eight HBA presidents, from January 1996 until December 2003 -the association doubled its membership and built a new 4,600-square-foot headquarters along U.S. 92 on the outskirts of Daytona.

"That project was a real leap of faith, and a labor of love," says McGee, who was a guiding force in the campaign to raise cash, supplies and labor. Her dynamic leadership won kudos from her co-workers and the county's industry leaders.

"I've been in the industry 30-plus years, and it was a refreshing breath of air to become involved with Beth," says Tom Jarosik, a builder and volunteer president of Volusia County Home Builder's Association. "I've never run across someone so dedicated to the industry, so entrenched, yet able to do so much with a great personality and a great attitude. She made the job of the board of directors easier by being there."

Even elected officials, who are often at odds with builder organizations, found it impossible not to like-and respect-McGee's knowledge and her style.

Frank Bruno, chairman of the Volusia County Council, worked with McGee for nine years. "She's bright, funny, charming and a great personality," says Bruno, "There have been some very prosperous years for builders in Volusia County under her leadership. At times, she's a formidable adversary to governmental legislation, but her tireless efforts really benefited Volusia County's economic goals over the years."

From the time McGee was a young girl growing up outside Washington, D.C., she was interested in current events. Her father was an electrical engineer and her mother was a retired nurse-but both were artistic and politically aware, and dinnertable conversation inevitably turned to the issues of the day.

"As kids, our parents allowed us to be bohemian and unconventional in a conventional way," recalls McGee, who was the oldest of five. "It was great for our development as individuals."

McGee's husband, Steve, is from Daytona, but they met in the capitol, where McGee, a 20-something single mother, was working for the U.S. Treasury Department. They married and moved to Central Florida, where her husband attended Stetson University in DeLand.

"It was culture shock, moving to Central Florida," says McGee. "The bugs-and I thought the whole state was nothing but ocean."

She received an A.A. degree from Daytona Beach Community College before enrolling at UCF, where she immersed herself in politics and moderated a program for the campus radio station called UCF Students View the News. "We thought we were so intellectual," she recalls with a chuckle.

While at UCF, McGee met Professor Joyce Lilie, who became her mentor and today is one of her closest friends.

"When I first met Beth in the late 1980s, she was determined to be an English major," says Lilie, associate professor of political science. "The first thing I noticed was her writing. Her skills were excellent and showed sophistication of understanding and judgment. I convinced her to consider government and public policy."

Before Lilie knew it, McGee had changed her major. And through the years, Lilie has watched McGee's career with delight and more than a hint of pride. "She always surpasses herself," says Lilie. "She presses at those edges, and she's done remarkable things."

McGee's return to Orlando-she officially started the HBA job in December, following the retirement of former executive officer Tom Lagomasino-comes at a time when the home building industry has been made the scapegoat for virtually every growth-related challenge, from traffic jams to crowded schools.

"In this industry, the better economic conditions are, the more attacks come from every direction," says McGee. "And home builders are an easy target. Government regulations and impact fees are such issues because Central Florida is growing so rapidly. But housing is just the result of more jobs and more people-not the cause."

In her role as the HBA's executive officer, McGee oversees a volunteer board of directors and manages a paid staff of 15, which handles everything from governmental affairs and legislative action to public information and special events.

Among her top priorities, she says, will be to communicate to politicians and local residents all of the ways in which the building industry bolsters the local economy and strengthens families by encouraging home ownership.

At home, McGee says her husband-a retired banker and a sometime-adjunct professor at UCF-helps keep her grounded, often by arguing politics. "Steve is the smartest person I know," she says.

McGee also enjoys reading historical biographies, especially those regarding the Founding Fathers. "These people were so forward-thinking and creative," she says. "They had ideals, and were willing to put everything on the line in order to accomplish something larger than themselves."

McGee enjoys a good history book, playing the piano and guitar, journaling and bicycling. Her son Ian lives in Washington, D.C., but daughter Valarie, who has three children, is close by in Ormond Beach. McGee spends every Sunday afternoon with her grandchildren.

"It is possible to make a difference," she continues. "I really enjoy the challenges. I have a passion for this industry, and no one has to be an apologist for providing housing. Let's just figure out where people can live-and to do that, political leadership needs to be different and creative."

But although McGee is a fighter, she most often employs reason and charm when making her point.

"Life is inherently hard," she notes. "So you can accomplish your goals and still be kind."