#WomenInMaleFields In Real Life

I never want a job because I’m a woman. 

I want the job because I’m the best. It’d be fine with me if which bathroom I go to never came up at all.

But since it has come up (thanks to @TJMoe28), I thought it seemed like a good time to spotlight 10 women who are masters of their craft and killing the game in a #maledominatedfield.

(ICYMI, Glamour Magazine editor Fiona Ward explained the viral trend I’m referring to here.)

Based on principle alone, the three women pictured above will be on the list.

#1. Laura Rutledge

Laura is the host of ESPN’s weekday NFL news and information show, NFL Live, and SEC Network’s SEC Nation, and also a very cool mom. Since joining ESPN in 2014, Rutledge has consistently expanded her portfolio and been a crowd favorite. 2024 is her eighth year as host and ninth year with the show overall. 

She’s also an American beauty pageant titleholder from St. Petersburg, Florida, who was named Miss Florida 2012. You should really have to pick between physical beauty and brains but we love proof that you don’t gotta.

#2. Holly Rowe

One of ESPN’s most versatile and respected commentators, Holly has worked in sports journalism for more than 30 years. Covering a wide variety of sports and high-profile events including NCAA Women’s Final Four, NCAA Women’s College World Series, ABC Saturday Night Football, Big Monday men’s college basketball, Heisman Trophy Ceremony, and the WNBA. 

After a Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma diagnosis, Rowe has become a tireless advocate for cancer research and prevention. The tiniest bit of Holly Rowe slander is what prompted this email.

#3. Jess Sims

A college sports reporter for ESPN, as well one of the most popular Peloton instructors... Sims joined ESPN in August 2022 when she was named to the cast of College GameDay Built by The Home Depot. In 2023, she added men’s college basketball reporting.

As a weekly contributor to college football’s premier pregame show, Sims helps capture the excitement surrounding ESPN’s on-campus College GameDay shows. I don’t know how she does it, but I hope she’s getting plenty of rest because I need her on College Game Day AND Peloton for the rest of my life. #YouGetToCrew

#4. Dr. Mariza Tsakalerou

She is the current assistant Professor of Engineering and Management at Nazarbayev University. Dr. Tsakalerou's teaching portfolio for the Master of Engineering Management program encompasses subjects like team leadership, product development, and the impact of globalization and digital transformation on engineering.

Her career path has been global, with significant roles across continents, from Europe to Asia. She has held research and academic positions at prestigious institutions such as Hong Kong Polytechnic University, George Washington University, the National University of Singapore and Wenzhou-Kean University in China.

I am not smart enough to sit in one of these classes but I somehow feel safer knowing she’s teaching them.

#5. Sarah Thomas 

In January 2019, Thomas became the first female on-field official in playoff history as she was part of the NFL officiating crew for the Divisional Round game between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Chargers.

In 2021, Thomas reached a new milestone in her already successful officiating career when she was named down judge in Super Bowl 55. Thomas is the first woman to ever officiate in a Super Bowl, paving the way for many more women. Female officials just actually make more sense, I’m sorry.

#6. Katharina Klopfer

After graduating from business school, Katharina became a consultant in Industrial Scaffolding (yes, this kind)… which she didn’t even realize would be a male-dominated industry when she started. It’s just what she wanted to do. Imagine that…

When asked what skills and qualities are necessary for women working specifically in the construction sector, Katharina states that “being firm and direct” are what helped her to achieve her goals. I’m trying this in 2025.

#7. Missy Scherber

Missy Scherber works on the front lines of T. Scherber, an earthmoving and waste management company that she owns alongside her husband in Minneapolis, MN. 

Missy has been an advocate for women in construction having been featured in prominent publications like USA TODAY, Grading & Excavation Magazine, CONEXPO/CONAGG, and Caterpillar Inc. The delight I would feel in my heart if I saw Missy pull up to excavate my plot of land knows no bounds.

#8. Nicole Hofmann

Nicole is CEO and co-founder of Sentryc GmbH - a company out of Berlin that offers other companies a digital solution with its self-developed brand protection software that can be used to detect and stop product piracy and brand abuse on online marketplaces. 

Nicole is a passionate entrepreneur with a rich history of founding and building companies in male dominated industries like cyber security. We need a cyber security career Barbie, truly.

#9. Tamara Moore 

Tamara is the first and only female head coach of a male’s collegiate basketball team. She leads the team at Mesabi Range College in Virginia, Minnesota and has worked as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics Summer League team. 

Moore was a professional basketball player herself who competed in the WNBA and Europe. I’m sure men hate to hear women talk about basketball too which is even funnier since dribbling is the exact same for both men and women.

#10. Kathryn Smith

Kathryn was the first full-time female assistant coach in the NFL from 2005 to 2016, until finishing her career as the special teams quality control coach of the Buffalo Bills. 

"I hope it's leading to, honestly, to it not being a conversation. I hope that it just becomes, 'This is the next coach of this team,' but that's the announcement, not that 'It's a female coach.'" - Smith in an interview about what her making history would mean for the future of women in male dominated industries. 

Among so many more….

I used to get discouraged that I didn’t have daughters to raise and empower and inspire to be on a list like this, but what I’ve realized is my job as a boy mom is just as important - if not more. 

Here’s to raising boys into men so that we don’t even need this list. 

You’re the woman for the job. 

Xo, The Salesgirls 

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