Her Story
About Leah
Leah Dozier lives in Houston and serves as part of a team of three women running the non-profit Justice Forward. In this role, she works directly with department heads of treatment courts in three counties in the Houston area, handling requests to support clients such as providing resources for graduations, education, and rehabilitation. She manages billing and invoices for the organization and assists with its two annual events. Additionally, she works in the recovery community. Dozier earned her Bachelor's of Science in Hospitality from the University of Houston in 2009. Prior to her current work, she was employed in hotel properties in Texas and the New York area, and in 2016 she became the first general manager, and first woman in that position, at a restaurant that had been operating for over 40 years. She attributes her success to a strong work ethic and being ethical. Dozier values organization highly in both her professional and personal life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Leah
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think just I've always had a job and I've always worked and having a strong work ethic is very important. Anybody that's ever employed me has seen that and that's always kept me ahead. Just being ethical and a hard worker I think is the two biggest things.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Don't count yourself short. Women always underpay themselves, don't ask for more money and give themselves the short end of the stick. If you don't ask then you're not going to receive.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If you feel like there's nowhere to go always have that talk with the person that seems to be able to move things within the organization. Don't just keep doing the same job and get into a funk. Keep pushing yourself and seeing how far you can go. If you've pushed yourself and there's nowhere else for you to go then that's a perfect opportunity to go look for something else.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is making enough money to pay for daycare in any industry. It's like another mortgage. Industries don't really want to pay that well unless you're an executive at an executive level and putting in those executive hours.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Organization is so important for me because it makes everything easier. Every task is easier whenever everything is organized. If I know where everything is or if I have everything in a certain place then I don't have to spend extra time finding things. All women are huge multitaskers so if everything is easier and available then it just makes our lives easier.
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