Cathy Bonner was born the middle child, in a middle-class family, in the middle of the United States, and smack-dab in the middle of the 20th century. She thus concluded: "I think all of that middle mediocrity made me realize that the main thing you had to avoid in life was boredom."

She has succeeded in that goal.

Bonner heads an Austin, Texas-based, namesake marketing company that provides strategic planning, advertising, public relations, and direct response campaigns. She has developed a niche specialty in conducting television and Web-based advertising for "529" tuition savings programs in a dozen states.

A member of the University of Texas Club, Bonner is equally comfortable in the arenas of business, politics, and philanthropy. Under Texas Governor Ann Richards in the early 1990s, Bonner served as director of the Texas Department of Commerce, managing the state’s economic development efforts for four years. Among her accomplishments there, she successfully negotiated the corporate relocation of SBC Communications Inc. (now AT&T Inc.) to San Antonio.

She later drew upon this relationship to help launch a dream that is now known as The Women’s Museum: An Institute for the Future. SBC Communications made history with a $10 million challenge grant given through the SBC Foundation. After three years of initial fundraising, a "who’s who" of women turned out March 8, 1999, at Dallas’ Fair Park (home of the Cotton Bowl and the State Fair of Texas) to launch the construction of the museum that opened in fall of 2000.

Today, Bonner is trying to "have less involvement of me" in The Women’s Museum and more involvement of other board members. She anticipates passing on the title of board president sometime this year. She spends substantial time on the speaking circuit, covering such topics as human resources and women’s issues, and, of course, women’s history. In late 2005, she completed a book called What I Want Next: 30 Minutes to Reveal Your Future. Bonner recently toured The Women’s Museum with Private Clubs editor in chief Patricia Baldwin. Here are excerpts from that conversation.

Early on, I used to dream about being a lawyer. That put me on a path in high school, and certainly in college, of getting involved in politics. I didn’t become a lawyer, but what I learned in politics has helped me throughout my life — to take on big projects and get them finished.

And this museum really started with a dream in 1996?
I kept having a recurring dream and I would wake up and think, "We really need to do something in the new millennium to honor the contributions and accomplishments of women." And, at first, I envisioned it to be an exhibit. I came to some friends in Dallas and asked, "If we had this national exhibit, do you think Fair Park would like to have it? They said, "Of course, but we really need to show you this building." And they brought me over here.

What did you find?
The building was about to fall down; it was in terrible disrepair. And I don’t know if it was serendipity or synergy or something, but it clicked — what we really needed was a permanent place of renown where you could come and hear the stories of women’s accomplishments and contributions.

So when you are talking about dreams, sometimes you’re talking about literal dreams.
I’m talking about literal dreams. I think that when you have an unrelenting dream or a recurring dream, you have to pay attention.

And then you raised more than $32 million to build the museum?
There’s been a lot more raised since we opened in 2000. And the City of Dallas donated the land and the building. But that’s what it took to renovate this building and install the permanent exhibits.

A lot of people might like to know your secret of fundraising.
It’s relationships, relationships, relationships. It’s being able to get a meeting with the chairman of the board of SBC because I had a previous business relationship with him. And it’s also timing. Back in 1996, until 1999, the economy was really good.

It’s probably like asking if you have a favorite child, but do you have a favorite exhibit?
One of my favorite artifacts is Amelia Earhart’s leather flight suit, which she wore when she delivered mail for the U.S. government. It was found in a Smithsonian postal museum.

As we walk through the museum, what are your thoughts?
I am remembering the days when it was under construction and I used to do hard hat tours. I must have given 200 hard hat tours over the couple of years when we were doing the construction. But if I could get a potential donor here, I could sell them — once they saw the building and they could see what it was going to become.

The museum is something that’s going to live on as your legacy. What are your thoughts about that?
Well, I do feel like it is a legacy. In a lot of ways, it was 25 years in the making, because of the work I’ve done in the women’s movement and because of the people I have met.

Is there something you would like to see that’s not here?
I want the museum to become significant in terms of programs. We are going to have the Girls State Fair here. We are going to give scholarships for science projects and art and drama. We have a bunch of new exhibits coming. …

Did your experience in politics influence your inclinations for public service?
Without a doubt, yes, because it did two things: It introduced me to people who were movers and shakers and could get things done; and it built that flame inside where there were goals bigger than just me.

Did some of your mentors come out of the political arena? And have your mentors changed throughout the years?
My mentors when I was younger have stayed my mentors. I think of Ann Richards as a mentor and Liz Carpenter [former press secretary to Lady Bird Johnson in the Johnson Administration]. I met both of them during the early days of the women’s movement in politics back in the 1970s. And in business, I’ve had some. My father — he died in 1996 — was a mentor because he had started and owned his business. And I have heroes who weren’t really mentors to me, but people I got to know along the way, like Ed Whitacre, who’s the chairman and CEO of SBC Communications — people who I aspire to be like in business.

The museum might not have happened without SBC. Is that the importance of a relationship?
Sure it is. I met Mr. Whitacre when he was looking to move the company from St. Louis to Texas because Texas represented 60 percent of their business in a four-state area. I was the director of the Department of Commerce, so it was my job to put together the deal that would make the move possible. I had to work with him secretly because no one could know he was contemplating a move. And I watched him conduct business. The SBC Foundation was the first place I went with the dream of building The Women’s Museum. He couldn’t believe there wasn’t a national women’s history museum, and he wanted to do something to honor the women who worked for him and his women customers. And he believed that I could pull it off, if I said I could. So he made the first $10 million challenge grant.

What impressed you about how he conducted his business?
Well, he is very smart and he is very straightforward. When I would fly to St. Louis, the meetings would be very short, but very, very productive. It was no nonsense and he can make a decision very fast. He made the decision about the $10 million within a 30-minute meeting. He’s a decision maker.

So you took some lessons from him?
I hope so.

You’ve been involved in public relations for a long time and you also have had the media spotlight turned on you. You have been interviewed on Larry King Live, the Today Show, Good Morning America, by the New York Times, and others. Are you good at taking your own PR advice when it comes to media?
Am I good at taking my own advice? Yes, I’m focused. The [important] thing in media training is to "bridge." No matter what you’re asked, you go back to what you really want to say. I can do that.

Have you ever had any moments of crisis in the media?
I’ve been emotional in the media … times when I’ve had microphones stuck under my face. And, I know — threats, tears, and moral condemnations you have to leave at home.

Is that good advice for any executive to follow?
I think it is because, if you stand up and your lip quivers and your voice shakes, you are not going to look like a trustworthy leader.

What’s next for you?
I’ve written a book.

Tell me about it.
The name of the book is What I Want Next: 30 Minutes to Reveal Your Future. It’s written around a process, a 30-minute, written process that helps you decide what you want next in your life. The book includes the stories of people who have gone through this process over the last 15 years and what has happened to them.

Is the process self-administered?
Yes. The process is in the middle of the book. There’s really beauty in the simplicity of it because you come up with what you truly want to do next in your life, not what you think you should do next in your life.

And how do people find the book?
You can get it from Amazon.com or the Web site www.whatiwantnext.com.

So have you gone through this process?
Yes. I really wanted to write. And I’ve done this now; fiction is next.

Finally, are you having any more recurring dreams we need to know about?
No [laughs]. But, you know, what you are doing in your dreams is you’re problem solving. Every dream is a gift that you have to unwrap and unravel. And it’s never the reality of what you think it is.

THE WOMEN’S MUSEUM
The Women’s Museum: An Institute for the Future, in association with the Smithsonian Institution, is the first comprehensive women’s history museum in the United States. Located in a historic art deco building in Dallas’ Fair Park, the museum offers 20,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits, which bring to life the voices, talents, achievements, aspirations, and stories of many American women from the past, present, and future. For membership opportunities and information, visit: www.thewomensmuseum.org

CATHY BONNER
Membership: The University of Texas Club, Austin, Texas.
Occupation: President, Bonner Inc.
Residence: Austin, Texas.
Birth date and place: March 19, 1950, Dallas.
Education: Bachelor of Science, University of Texas at Austin.
Leadership involvements: President of the board and founder, The Women’s Museum: An Institute for the Future. President of the board, the Foundation for Women’s Resources. Founding member, the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Child Advocacy Center. Board member, the Lone Star Girl Scout Council, the Austin Area Research Organization, and many others.
Honors: Numerous professional awards from organizations including Women in Communications Inc., the Texas Public Relations Association, and the American Council for Economic Development. In 2004, she received the Office Depot Visionary Award for her "extraordinary dedication and vision." In 2003, Woman’s Day named her among the "Women Who Inspire Us." In March 2001, Fortune Small Business magazine named her as one of the 25 "most influential women entrepreneurs in America."
Career highlights: Started and sold three businesses in the fields of communication, marketing, and cable television. Executive director of the Texas Department of Commerce from 1991 to 1994.
Hobbies: Golf, for business and pleasure. "Don’t ask me my handicap." Mini-triathlons consisting of a half-mile swim, 12-mile bicycle ride, and a 6K run. "I do the Danskin Women’s Triathlon every year in Austin."
Advice for a 20-year-old: "Be nice. That person who’s standing behind the counter selling you used books at college or that person next door to your dorm room might end up being Secretary of State for the United States."
Update: Authored What I Want Next: 30 Minutes to Reveal Your Future. (www.whatiwantnext.com)

1. Thou shalt learn to communicate in the 21st century. If you cannot communicate in the 21st century, you can’t operate in business. Power is the control, access, and distribution of information.

2. Perception is reality. Intelligence never speaks loudly enough, at least not in a crowded media market. The perception of you or what you do is as important as what you really do.

3. Thou shalt dream. This is the concept of creative visualization — what your goals are — and not just letting your future happen to you.

4. Be sure your goal is what you really want. Oscar Wilde said, "When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers."

5. Thou shalt covet responsibility. You can’t replace the "old guard" unless you take the responsibility for moving forward.

6. No guts … no glory. You can’t wait until you feel like you know a subject inside and out. You just have to adopt the [Flying] Wallenda factor — be on the high wire and show some guts.

7. Develop three kinds of bones. A funny bone, a wishbone, and a backbone.

8. Nurture thyself … then each other. Everyone’s success is built on centuries of struggle. You have to protect that and nurture that to be part of something bigger than yourself.

9. Never stop learning. My favorite Japanese proverb is "I learn only to be contented." Lifelong learning has to be a part of your business experience, not just your personal experience.

10. Conspire to make a better world. Try to change the system by working within the system without acting like the system. We have taught men to be brave and women to care. Now, we have to teach men to be brave enough to care about an equal and open society and teach women to care enough to be brave and not only to rock the cradle, but to rock the boat to make a better world.