The Women in Government Affinity Group (WIG AG), a vibrant community within the Society of Women Engineers, has been at the forefront of empowering women professionals and promoting these values in this business sector. Over the past year, the group organized a series of engaging events, ranging from guidance for a national conference to exploring the significance of cybersecurity and leadership — and featuring a diverse array of guest speakers. Let’s take a closer look at these impactful meeting topics that have made a difference in the lives of women in the field.
August
The WIG AG kicked off the year with a monthly meeting in August focused on advancing women in STEM leadership. The session emphasized strategies for career growth, drawing from Stephanie Slocum’s video, “6 Moments Women STEM Leaders Say Are Essential for Career Success.”
In summary, her six moments are as follows:
- A Mentorship Moment
- A Self-Advocacy Moment
- A Leadership Development Moment
- A High-Visibility Role
- A Support or Drive Moment
- A Conflict Moment
By leveraging insights from Stephanie Slocum’s video, the group fosters a supportive community where women can learn from pivotal moments like mentorship and self-advocacy, ultimately driving more women into leadership roles within STEM fields.
September
In September, the WIG AG welcomed Lynn Koerbel, MPH, an assistant director of MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) teacher training and curricula development at Brown University, for an enriching discussion on “Practicing Mindfulness – A Way to Cope with Stress and Reduce Bias.”
Missed this session? Check out the presentation!
Mindfulness is an important topic that can help us cope with challenging situations at work and prepare us to be better leaders and professionals. Given the vastness of the topic and our limited time frame, Koerbel highly recommends considering an eight-week MBSR class, whether online or in person. For those dealing with recurring depression, MBCT (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy) could be a great option.
These programs have been thoroughly researched and proven to help individuals develop inner resources, make wiser choices, and regulate their nervous systems. For those interested in self-study, Lynn has kindly put together a list of recommended books.
Lastly, if you want to delve deeper into the connection between mindfulness and engineering, these resources might interest you:
Conference Highlights
At the WE23 conference, Peggy Nguyen and Jenna Lynn Henderson presented on “Women in Government Implementing Change in Disruptive Times,” while Jenni Dalzell, Peggy Nguyen, Dimple Palet, and Jenna Lynn Henderson hosted a panel discussion on “How Government Engineers Keep the Wheels from Falling Off.” In addition to the conference presentations, the WIG AG enjoyed many social events as well as camaraderie at The Yard House.
February
In February, we hosted guest speaker Carolina Nino-Vargas. With a background in the Department of Defense (DOD), Carolina is currently a solutions engineer at Snyk, working in Latin America to expand the adoption of application security tools while providing training and awareness to both security and developer teams. The group enjoyed hearing about her transition out of the DOD and her current role, which presents unique challenges and opportunities.
Looking Ahead
The WIG AG has made a significant impact in empowering women professionals this past year. As we continue to inspire and uplift women in engineering, we have planned an exciting lineup of upcoming topics for the next year, including leadership development, emotional intelligence and soft skills, artificial intelligence, and a diverse array of guest speakers. If these past topics or the future ones inspire you, we invite you to join our AG!
The leaders of the SWE Women in Government Group are Jenna Henderson, PE, PMP (she/her), and Jennifer Dalzell (she/her). If you would like additional information about the Women in Government Group, please contact them directly via womeningov.ag@swe.org or join our Facebook group to get engaged.
