NAWIC - New Hampshire's Women in Construction - NAWIC NH Blog

Women in Construction Panel - Nashoba Valley Technical HS

5/15/2017

Thanks to Catherine Schoenenberger, president-elect of the National Association of Women in Construction, for taking time out of her very busy schedule to moderate the 1st annual Women in Construction Panel at Nashoba Valley Technical High School which was attended by close to 120 students.

"WESTFORD -- Nashoba Valley Technical High School recently held a unique, and what school officials hope to be an annual, event.

The first annual Women in Construction Panel featured five women who hold management positions in the construction industry who spoke to students in nontraditional technical areas about their experiences in the workplace, and how women are sometimes held to different standards in positions traditionally held by men.

Girls who are in nontraditional technical programs at Nashoba Tech -- for example, Plumbing & Heating, Automotive Repair and Carpentry -- attended the program in the school's Performing Arts Center, as did girls in similar programs at other local technical schools, so they could hear from role models as they continue their education in nontraditional careers.

Michelle Jodar Stein, chairwoman of the Computing & Engineering Technology Department at Middlesex Community College, talks to students in nontraditional technical programs about her experiences in the workplace."

To read full article please CLICK HERE.

Learning about Underground Utilities and Safety

5/15/2017

Thank you to our members and friends who joined us at the May NAWIC Meeting hosted by Maine Drilling and Blasting. In addition to general business we had Bill Ruoff, Underground Damage Prevention Specialist for the State of NH Public Utilities Commission deliver a safety presentation on underground utilities and dig safe regulations. Bill had a lot of great information to share that is useful for contractors and homeowners. Be sure to mark your calendar for Wednesday June 14th for our next meeting as we tour Concrete Systems, Inc. in Hudson, NH.

Leading the Way - Increasing Women in the Construction Industry

4/22/2017

Way to go Liz Skidmore!! We love hearing about more women in construction! Your hard work is clearly making an impact!! Thank you!!

"Nearly 40 years after President Jimmy Carter signed an executive order mandating women hold 6.9% of work hours on construction projects receiving federal funds, the number still hovers between 2% and 3% nationally. No state has come close to his aspirational rate until Massachusetts began to see a rise in women joining the industry in the last five years.

“Something is happening where, after decades of no progress, we’re beginning to see an increase in women in construction,” said Elizabeth Skidmore, business representative/organizer at the New England Regional Council of Carpenters and co-founder of the Policy Group on Tradeswomen’s Issues."

TO READ FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE

Presentation to Summit Metal Fabricators/Methuen Construction

3/20/2017

What a thrill to see Women in Construction in such numbers. Way to lead the way Methuen Construction (and subsidiaries)...great energy and diverse talents in this group! Next stop: NAWIC Granite State Chapter #218. For more info on the presentation by Catherine Schoenenberger at Summit Metal Fabricators/Methuen Construction, please click here.

Granite State Chapter #218 celebrates WIC Week!

3/6/2017

Click here to read the 2017 press release on Women in Construction Week or on the right to read the Governor's Proclamation! Take time to thank a woman you know in the construction industry for her dedication and hard work!

Emerging Leaders Program

10/25/2016

I recently completed an intensive leadership development program through Primex3. The Emerging Leaders Program is a dynamic 7-month professional development opportunity to develop the competencies needed to grow in leadership effectiveness. I was nominated and endorsed by my supervisor and then selected along with 15 other individuals with high leadership potential from the Primex3 membership. We participated in a competency-building curriculum including workshops, blogs, self-directed learning, simulations and assessments including an assessment which provides perspectives on our behavioral style, personal motivators, and emotional intelligence. Each “Emerging Leader” also completed a 360 assessment which measures an individual’s ability in 16 key competency areas. These 16 differentiating competencies are statistically derived and proven to set apart the best leaders from their counterparts.

As part of the required curriculum, I worked with my mentor to identify, manage, and implement a project that would positively benefit the Town of Goffstown. The project I chose was to collaborate with local schools to improve the Town-wide recycling rate, which has been declining over the last few years. I quickly gained support for this project from the SAU superintendent and then presented to the SAU administration in late summer about the benefits of recycling and how to make it more fun, convenient and second nature for students. At Mountain View Middle School, I spoke to 800 students providing information on what is recyclable in the single stream barrels and hoped to inspire and motivate them to make recycling fun in their schools and to share the info they learned with their families. I am actively working with the Maple Ave Elementary School and the Northeast Resource Recovery Association to bring a hands-on learning event called “Trash on the Lawn Day” to young students and will also help facilitate a STAR Assessment of recycling efforts at the school. Work on this project will continue into the coming months as I focus more efforts on public education and outreach efforts with recycling as well.

Results of my project were delivered in a presentation to fellow Emerging Leaders Program participants, their mentors and the instructors. The presentation included information on identifying the project need, evaluation of the implementation process, deliverables and future actions. The Emerging Leaders Class is a wonderful opportunity to focus on yourself both personally and professionally to develop your strengths as a leader. The assessments and classes we participated in throughout the course were phenomenal and definitely pushed us to grow professionally. Much of what you learn in classes can be implemented immediately. The program also provides you the tools to continuously work on a long term development plan as well. I would recommend this class to any professional who is interested in self-development and willing to put the time and effort in. Thank you to PRIMEX for not only creating such a fantastic interactive program but for having such supportive staff and instructors who truly epitomize leadership and were excited to share their knowledge and experiences with us.

Meghan Theriault, P.E. (Town Engineer - Town of Goffstown)

Contact Elaine St. Jean, Education & Training Program Coordinator at NH Public Risk Management Exchange (Primex3) for more information at estjean@nhprimex.org.

2016 NH Construction Career Days

10/17/2016

Thanks to Catherine Schoenenberger, founder and president of NH Construction Career Days, and our National NAWIC President-elect, we had another hugely successful event on September 22nd & 23rd at the New Boston 4H Youth Center. Over 1,100 high schools students from 50+ schools attended and participated in 70+ hands-on demos and career booths. To see photos from this years event please visit the NH Construction Career Days website or the NHCCD Facebook page.

It was also very exciting to have the local news station WMUR and NH Chronicle join us this year to cover the event. If you missed it and want to see a quick video on what it's all about, please take 5 min to watch the episode.

2016-2017 National Board of Directors

9/30/2016

NAWIC Welcomes the 2016-2017 National Board of Directors

During NAWIC’s 61st Annual Meeting and Education Conference in San Antonio, Texas the following members were officially installed as the 2016-2017 NAWIC National Board of Directors.

NAWIC Officers
President: Connie M. Leipard, CIT
President-Elect: Catherine D. Schoenenberger
Vice President: Dove Sifers-Putman, CBT
Secretary: Diane I. Mike, CBT
Treasurer: Anne Pfleger, CIT
Immediate Past President: Riki F. Lovejoy, CBT, CIT

Region Directors
Midwest Region: Vickie J. Nickel, CIT
North Central Region: Jenny Mangas
Northeast Region: Doreen Bartoldus, P.E., CCM
Pacific Northwest Region: Ruth Fritts
Pacific Southwest Region: Elizabeth M. Teramoto, CIT
South Atlantic Region: Lorie Lythgoe
South Central Region: Dena Rowland
Southeast Region: Angelia McElroy, CIT

Scholarship Recipient - Oliver Noble

9/26/2016

Oliver Noble of Concord won this years $1,000 NH Chapter NAWIC Scholarship. Oliver is attending white Mountain Community college in Berlin, NH where he is studying mobile equipment technology specializing in on and off highway diesel vehicles. In addition, Oliver is employed by Yankee GMC as a diesel technician and owns a small maple syrup business. In high school, Oliver worked for Morrill Transportation as a mechanic, participated in the student senate and won the 2015 Skills USA competition in NH.

NE Dragway Annual Fundraiser - BIG Success!

8/7/2016

The NH Granite State NAWIC Chapter had a very successful annual fundraiser at the New England Dragway in August! Our winner, a landscaper from Stratham and his young daughter took home a sizable prize from our 50/50 Raffle. Thanks to all those who supported us at the event and see you next year!