Charlene Barshefsky may not be a name you bandy about in your girl-talking sessions. The story goes that she was invited by President Clinton to join his cabinet as the U.S. Trade Representative. As she was debating with herself whether to accept the nomination, one day she was driving along a parkway and spied a car with a license plate that read, "Go For It". So she did. She accepted the position.

And, now, thousands of women will use this story as the role model to guide their search for positions at the top - driving around our cities reading ouija-like messages from car license plates. Because, when you hear women speak to you about how they achieved their positions on boards, or at the top of the corporate ladder, there's always some cute little tale they tell that belies years of hard work, tough times, and extended hours to get the experience needed.

The Right Honorable Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky did NOT earn the right to perform at the very top of our corporate boards of directors by driving around waiting for inspiration.

What these women have not been told is the story of how Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky worked her little toushie off preparing herself, her skills, and her sharp-witted negotiating talents through years of "hanging in there" at all the places where she educated herself and paid her dues rising to the point that President Clinton knew that she was his choice as the nation's chief negotiator -- well before even she realized it.

Barshefsky graduated from the University of Washington in 1972 and from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University in Washington, DC in 1975. At both places, she earned numerous academic awards.

Then, for the next 18 years, she specialized in international trade law and policy the prominent DC law firm of Steptoe & Johnson. As partner in the firm, she also chaired its very powerful International Practice Group.

From May 1993 to April 1996, she was Deputy US Trade Representative; then to March 1977 became the Acting US Trade Representative; and became the 12th US Trade Representative on March 17, 1997.

In 1997, alone, she concluded 3 major global market-opening agreements:

• The Information Technology Agreement
• The Telecommunications Agreement
• The Financial Services Agreement

In April 1999, she negotiated the US-China agriculture market access agreement. In November of that year, she successfully concluded the US-China bilateral market access agreement -- locking down negotiations that had stalled for 7 years -- and establishing the terms under which China was accepted into the World Trade Organization.

Later in her term, she was instrumental in the:

• Free Trade Area of the Americas
• Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum
• US-EU Trans-Atlantic Partnership
• African Trade Initiative

plus 35 separate market access agreements with Japan and 15 agreements with China.

After leaving her US Trade Representative position in 2001, she joined the prominent DC law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP as Senior International Partner. She has been a director of Intel since January 2004 and also serves on the boards of:

• American Express Company
• The Estee Lauder Companies Inc.
• Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.

Ambassador Barshefsky certainly puts the lie to those who suggest that "women can't, don't, or won't negotiate." She also puts the lie to those women who think they are simply entitled to a public company board of director role without all of the work, education, and competence required to do the job.