AWIS National Chapter Meeting

In an effort to connect with AWIS chapters across the United States, Sandy Robert, AWIS CEO, and Alan Chewning, AWIS Director of Community Engagement, visited the west coast chapters in late February. Alexandra, Lining, Melody, and Karineh, as leaders of  the AWIS LA/VC chapter, were invited to Urth Caffé in Pasadena to meet Sandy and Alan.

The two parties discussed a wide range of topics including:

• How we engage members
• The career trajectory and the career level of our members
• The type of programs our chapter offers to its members
• Our chapter’s finance and budget
• Our local organization partners for events
• Our opinion on the workforce climate for women STEM professionals

Sandy and Alan were particularly interested in brainstorming on roadblocks our chapter faces, such as issues with hosting events or in increasing our member pool. Furthermore, AWIS National wanted to know how they can support our chapter in the future. Our team agreed that AWIS National should compile a list of speakers specialized in negotiation tactics, personal finance, interview skills, and business acumen, etc. that our chapter can invite as panelists for future career-oriented events. Ultimately, this might serve as best practices across the Nation for all AWIS chapters.