Annette Nance-Holt has had a busy week since she was appointed First Deputy Commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department. She is the first black woman to hold the position.
"The one thing I hope to bring is for little girls to look at me and say, 'Hey, I can do it,'" she said. "Because I never saw a firefighter when I was a little girl, African-American, and I never saw a woman at all, because there were none when I was a little girl."
Nance-Holt's career started in corporate America as a tax accountant. But when friends started training for the fire academy, so did she.
Her first assignment was with all male, all white firefighters. Throughout her 29 years on the job, she has witnessed CFD address several class action lawsuits and some ugly incidents regarding racism and sexism. Nance-Holt said she sees the department evolving.