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If you don’t know Betsie Gambel, it’s time you do. This native New Orleanian has always had a desire to help–and being active in the community, either through teaching, volunteerism, or work, has been her calling.
We visited Betsie at the Gambel Communications offices, where her PR firm– which specializes in communication strategy, media, special events, social media and marketing/branding– is headquartered in Old Metairie. We wanted to explore the idea of new careers after age 50, volunteerism, community, and hear her unique approach to it all.
Start at the Beginning
From a young age, Betsie wanted to be a teacher, and even during her time at Sweet Briar College, she never wavered. Upon graduation, she followed what she calls ‘a traditional path’ and returned to New Orleans to teach.
As an English teacher at the Academy of the Sacred Heart, she enjoyed her role in helping to empower young girls. But after fifteen years of teaching, she felt it was finally time for a change. So, with every intention of resigning, Betsie went to the Head of School’s office. The new headmistress, Sister Shirley Miller, convinced her to take on a newly created position: Director of PR. “It really was quite visionary of her,” Betsie recalls. “We all worked together to position the school to attract the best and the brightest students. With the oil bust of the 80s, New Orleans schools were suffering. This was an entirely new approach, using PR as a communication tool to tell the story of the school, just like we do now.”
After several years as Director of PR at Sacred Heart, Betsie moved to the same position at Logan Marketing– “We did amazing things.” Six years later, she left Logan to work with Jennifer Magee who Betsie says supported and nurtured the empowerment of women “and created an incredible team of women who are still close friends.”
On a Late Career Change
Betsie felt she knew when it was time to launch her own business. “For me, the cancer [she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the time of Hurricane Katrina and has been in remission since 2006] was the pivotal point when I thought, if I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it.”
Yet Betsie saw herself changing her career when her friends were finishing theirs, or were far into existing careers. “You’re going to realize when it’s time to retire, but it doesn’t have to be the end,” she says. “Once you retire, there are so many things you could do. What is it that you love doing that you’ve never tried? It could be finding your passion, or something you’ve never done. You know when it’s time.”
On Networking
“Networking, is another parallel in my life,” says Betsie. From student council in high school, to chairing fundraisers, she has always made a point to meet new people and learn about them. “I’ve always been very careful to get involved with not just one group. I have friends from all walks of life, so wherever I go in the city I’ll find somebody who I know, or who I’m connected to. “Like Marc Morial said, our city is a gumbo.”
On Volunteering
Often, career changes require a new set of skills, and moving from a teaching career to one in public relations is no different. “I actually learned my craft through volunteerism,” says Betsie. “A lot of young people don’t realize you gain so much knowledge by volunteering. It’s a special opportunity- you can make mistakes, learn.”
Through her volunteer work, Betsie served as the Junior League of New Orleans’ president, and on countless boards. She explains how she approaches choosing what volunteer work to do, “Pick something out of your comfort zone. It’s a good opportunity to find something completely new to you, something that you don’t know. That’s what I did – and look where it lead.” Betsie makes sure her team sees how this works. “It’s important for our corporate culture, that they need to get involved in some sort of community work.”
On Being Brave
Explaining what is the most difficult part of having her own business, Betsie admits, “Up until maybe three years ago, I had to touch every client we had. I was afraid that if I weren’t on top of every single client and every single step– that everything would fall apart. But I’ve learned to let go,” she laughs.
“There are meetings now that I don’t even know about. The team is so much more effective because I trusted their ability to make decisions.” Being aware through weekly meetings and conversations, without micromanaging, often allows for greater creativity and a culture of empowerment for those around you.
On Caring for Yourself
“One thing I learned when I had cancer – asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness,” says Betsie. She also cites her approach to work, “I’m able now to carve out the aspects of the business that I want to be involved with and I’m best at.
All my friends are retiring and honestly, I just can’t imagine it. Every day is such a gift, and so much fun.” Betsie readily cites her parents as models to her healthy lifestyle and attitude. “My mom and dad are still alive at 90 and both enjoying life. My dad is a champion tennis player and always stressed the importance of exercise, and to put the best into everything– he’d often repeat the adage, ‘If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.’”
On What’s Next
“2019 is our 10th anniversary! While our core is PR, more and more clients come to us for other marketing-related services like branding, websites, collateral materials and advertising. We want to strengthen awareness that we are more than PR.”
But as her parents taught her, it’s not all work, and Betsie is looking forward to relaxing with friends in Pass Christian– “It’s my respite. I go there every chance I get. No tv!”, as well as being a grandmother to out-of-state grandchildren. “Being a remote grandmother is different- I have come to realize that my time with them will never be the same as if I lived in the same city. I try to make our visits memorable- like their visits for Mardi Gras or teaching them to water-ski or feeding seagulls Cheetos- things they will remember doing with ‘Bets’.” She laughs.
Ann Herren is the Publisher of Nola Family and Nola Boomers Magazines.