COMMITTEE CORNER WGW Winter 2023 Virtual Event The committee will build on the success of its first ever Virtual Event by hosting a second free one-hour virtual event in late Winter. The theme for the event will be “Strategies to Overcome Bias in the Workplace” and will be open to both male and female attendees. WGW 2023 SMC “Meet & Greet” Event The WGW will host a “Meet & Greet” event during the Spring Management Conference in Philadelphia. The 1 ½ hour event will be a free event for all female GAWDA members. It
will take place on Saturday, May 6th from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. The goal is to provide an introductory network experience before the SMC events begin so it is easier for female GAWDA members to connect and build relationships within the GAWDA community. WGW 2023 GAWDA Annual Meeting Event in Hawaii The WGW is actively working on planning an event for the Annual Convention in Maui in October. The Committee is researching multiple venues and ideas and will have more to report as we get closer to the AC.
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS COMMITTEE
Co-Chair Andy Riordan, American Welding & Gas
Co-Chair Cody Patrick, Nikkiso The Young Professionals Committee had a very successful Young Professionals event in San Diego at the Annual Convention! With nearly double the attendance as usual events, the YP members really turned out for the technical leadership development seminar with General Frost followed by a scavenger hunt to a local bar in the Gaslamp District. It told us one thing: YP’s want training and are highly competitive! This theme will be reiterated more than once throughout the 2023 year. Since meeting in person at the Annual in San Diego, our two subcommittees have held one meeting each. We have created a GAWDA YP Microsoft TEAMS folder that all members have access to with cleaned up rosters, meeting notes, and relevant content for each respective subcommittee (Network & Event Planning; Outreach, Education & Development). 36 • First Quarter 2023
• Established cadence of YP and YP subcommittee meetings ` Quarterly virtual meetings as an entire committee ` 9 monthly subcommittee meetings excluding the SMC month, Annual month, and December due to the holidays. • Established subcommittee attendance requirements: ` Attend at least one in-person event ` Attend at least 6 of the 9 remote subcommittee meetings annually Networking & Event Planning Subcommittee Recap • Met virtually as a group to discuss hosting events outside of just the Annual to reach Young Professionals in the industry at a more local level. ` Currently planning an in-person event for the SMC. Visit the SMC website for more details. ` Exploring the opportunity to include some type of YP opportunity at 1-2 regional meetings this summer • Met virtually as a group to discuss strategic initiatives ` Contacting new/current members to GAWDA to gain access to their YP members to drive engagement ` Create scripts/targets and how to approach these members ` Establishing an official GAWDA Young Professionals logo ` Established a special task force to set this up and drive creative content ` Creating GAWDA YP LinkedIn Showcase Page Scan the QR Code to the right to view the AC 2022 photos from the Young Professionals and Women of Gases and Welding events.
