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, former Texas Comptroller, is unsatisfied with the treatment and position of women. She was the state鈥檚 top money manager for close to a decade, serving as Comptroller until last year. Before that, she was Texas Agriculture Commissioner and a state representative.
She鈥檚 decided to take what was left in her political coffers and start a nonprofit aimed at helping women lift each other up. is a website and phone-based platform that will bring women together in small groups and one-on-one conversations to answer questions for each other around the proverbial campfire. She's also written a book called "".
Part of the desire to focus her attention on helping women achieve their full potential came out of a March 2015 incident with the Austin City Council. After the city council election, the majority of council members were female. But a city staffer that to deal with the women on the council, the city would need to hire a special consultant.
鈥淸He said] women were notorious for two things: they asked a lot of questions 鈥� which was obviously going to be time-consuming and wasteful 鈥� and they didn't understand about numbers,鈥� Combs says. 鈥淭hat really hacked me off, and stronger language has been used elsewhere, ... and I decided if this happens in Austin which is known for being so-called progressive, then there's something deeply wrong."
In the introduction of her book, Combs writes that she鈥檚 embarking on a definite and deliberate mission to help women. 鈥淏eing pissed off is who I am and I embrace it 鈥� and use it for good,鈥� she writes.
鈥淚 decided to write 鈥楾exas Tenacity鈥� to show how women can have rich and varied lives if they recognize opportunity when it knocks. And if they come to a closed door, they have to learn how to unlock it, or they have to find a new door, or they have to work around that door. Or they just have to plain kick it down. Basically, we women have the tools necessary 鈥� if we choose to use them.鈥�
We spoke to Combs about her new mission.
On the gender bias and women using the tools they have:
"Some portion of women 鈥� and this is well documented, unfortunately, by research 鈥� we don't believe we have the tools. ... There's also this fact that we are so good at sitting down and being good in school and not making a mess and not making a fuss, we don't, in many cases, have the self-confidence 鈥� although we're fully capable."
On identity politics and feminism:
"I'm very much an individualist. I would say that I'm a person first, with certain views, and a woman second. 鈥� I鈥檓 a personist. I believe in people being able to fulfill their potential. I've got three sons. I want them to fulfill their potential. I want every man, woman, child, wherever situated, whatever type, to have the ability to direct their destiny to the life they want."
On when gender became important to her:
"In a particular case, this moron who ran our local electric co-op said to me at a meeting 鈥� and it was because I was female 鈥� about a power line 鈥楽ue, if I explained it to you, you wouldn't understand it.鈥� Well, that got me, to quote my friend 鈥榲ery pissed off鈥� and I decided that is bogus. He probably would not have said that to a man. But he said that to me and I was outraged."
On her nonprofit HERdacity:
"We want to help each other. 鈥� You don't have to give us your name and you can ask a question and you can voice things that you mightn't be able to voice someplace else, but that are really a burr under your personal saddle that really bug you. And we want to help you get past that."
Post by Beth Cortez-Neavel.
