Letter from NEWIEE President, Jacquie Ashmore

Last week, my calendar of events transpired in quite a thought-provoking way. On Monday, I attended a one-day symposium, at which I noted the first seven people at the podium were men, and it wasn’t until mid-morning that a woman spoke. On Tuesday, I spoke about NEWIEE’s work, alongside a couple of other speakers, at a session about diversity in the water sector workforce at the New England Water Environment Association’s spring conference. There was a very active discussion on areas where there has been progress for women, questions on why women continue to be largely absent from leadership roles, and conversation on how we can better incorporate minorities into the workforce. And so leading up to the NEWIEE membership roundtable lunch, I was reminded that we continue to see notable gaps in hiring, retaining, and promoting women in the energy and environment fields, and I heard that companies and organizations continue to feel that they lack the tools to address this challenge.

These two days set the perfect framework for our NEWIEE membership roundtable lunch on Wednesday, where just over 40 representatives of NEWIEE’s organizational members gathered for an energetic discussion of what they value most about NEWIEE, and how we can continue to best serve their needs. Here, the mood was upbeat – yet there was an undeniable sense of ease in the room as we shared our ideas and strategies on how to support women at all levels. Questions aired more on the side of, “how do we expand and act on our strategies?” and, “how can we make them more broadly available?”

I would like to thank Foley Hoag, LLP for hosting our lunch in their beautiful offices in Boston. After a brief introductory networking period, we dove into our conversation while guests enjoyed their lunches. Our first point of discussion offered a chance for attendees to explain why they chose to be organizational members of NEWIEE. Many agreed that they joined to meet and network with other women in the energy and environment industries in hopes to diversify their own company’s staff, as well as to help and encourage women to move up in their personal careers. They noted that the NEWIEE events and jobs board have helped them take full advantage of their membership. This topic transitioned nicely into an opportunity for members to voice their feedback and suggestions for the future of NEWIEE. Amongst our considerations was the creation of a “speakers board” – much like our jobs board – where those who are available to speak can post their realm of expertise and availability for other members to contact for events. We also spent a bit of time discussing the accessibility of Gala tickets to college students, young professionals, and others who express interest in attending but are not NEWIEE members or cannot afford tickets. Similarly, attention was brought to the suggestion of a scholarship for our mentorship program, and more specifically for young women of color in the energy and environment industries. Lastly, an idea that many seemed to latch onto was that of a “Resources” page on the NEWIEE website. This page could include a list of careers in energy and environment, sources and tips on how women can learn, practice, and evolve their hard and soft skills, such as strategic influence, leadership, and social capital, and how to negotiate a salary, to list a few examples.

After sharing feedback on different aspects of NEWIEE from members’ perspectives, we turned the conversation toward strategies addressing the common issues women face in the workplace. One idea was to identify companies that have fostered successful female leaders, to learn what organizational strategies were implemented in order to do so. One guest also referenced a study concluding that women view opportunities in their career due part to whether or not they envision themselves moving up in their company. As an organization, we must foster confidence in one another and remind ourselves that we are just as capable and intelligent as men in high-up positions. This roundtable discussion was very stimulating and positive, as is typical of NEWIEE events, and I can certainly say that I left feeling confident, hopeful, and excited for the future of our organization and all the women in the energy and environment sectors.

We took the thoughts and ideas that came from the roundtable lunch into our one-day board retreat this weekend, and worked them into our plans for the coming year and beyond. Stay tuned for more information about what’s next for NEWIEE in the coming months – and in the meantime, remember to sign up as a mentor or mentee for the next cycle of our mentoring scheme, and look out for more information about our Women Shaping the Agenda event on 7/24, as well as announcements of local chapter and rising professionals’ events!

Also of Interest

• Join NEWIEE
• NEWIEE Event Calendar
• NEWIEE Jobs Board