First off Donna, you are awesome.
Back in the day I had a job where I was critical to the company, led a team with low turnover, and had a string of wins. The COO personally took it upon himself to make sure I got a big fat bonus for taking the lead in a particular situation heading off a problem that would have erased a huge chunk of the company’s stock price had it happened.
I was a pushy leader who consistently got things done.
My manager (a guy) gave me a bad review that year and told me I needed to work on my ‘text, tone, and timing’. I could be wrong, but I doubt what happened to you had as much to do with your gender as with the simple fact that you had a bad manager.
I’m glad you stuck it out because you folks are killing it!
Me? I took my bonus and left the corporate scene shortly after. I went into consulting so I could have a little more control over my own destiny, but I do miss the opportunity to work on things over the long haul at times.