In March of each year, the United States of America joins other countries
around the world in celebrating women’s history. Some have week-long
celebrations, while others observe the entire month. Each country highlights
the work and contributions women have made to the world as a whole. The
list of who’s who, and names we may never know, span the gamut from
politics to arts and entertainment, education, healthcare and medicine,
religion, journalism, business, sports, aviation, engineering, government, law
enforcement, etc. In these professions, many women have either been
behind-the-scenes or in the leadership forefront to help build a world of great
discoveries and inventions to foster a better place for humans to co-exist.
Among those in the rank is Dallas’ current City Manager, KIM BIZOR
TOLBERT. She treads in the footsteps of her former Dallas City Manager
women predecessors, JAN HART and MARY SUHM. Hart was the first
woman to break the ice and Tolbert is the first ‘African American’ woman to
continue this women’s legacy. All three women faced daunting tasks to lead
Dallas through murky waters at a time when the city has and continues to go
through many challenges and changes, with an elected by-the-people city
council, which helps to set governmental public policies for all Dallas citizens.
As women who have dealt with discriminatory experiences from sexism to
racism, on many levels, found avenues and ways to ride the tides, above and
beyond, to help build a city that’s in the global limelight as one of America’s
top cities to visit and live. Without doubt, it’s the brilliance of Hart, Suhm and
now Tolbert, who meticulously ‘had and has’ the challenge to mitigate city
council members’ constituent interests, work with and manage a vast and
diverse group of city employees, and simultaneously speak to the ongoing
and growing needs of Dallas’ tax-paying citizens. Given these reasons from
a broad perspective, it is a mammoth task and responsibility to answer the
‘charge and challenge’ to continue to move Dallas forward for decades and
centuries to come. As the needs and city grows, leadership changes, and
demands increase, Dallas will do what Dallas does best. It will find the most
passionately qualified person to do the job required of a City Manager. Of the
nineteen City Managers who have held this post since 1931, only three were women. An unknown writer once pinned, “Too often the women are unsung
and sometimes their contributions go unnoticed. But the achievements,
leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was
as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.” So, as this 2026
Women’s History Month nears its end, we toast and salute JAN HART, MARY
SUHM and KIM BIZOR TOLBERT for their work, contribution and stalwart
duty to have accepted the role and responsibility to lead a major city
government with commitment, compassion and grace!
Curtis King
