WOMENomics: The power of women helping women
NETHER PROVIDENCE >> Professional networking can occur in a variety of venues.
More than 60 Delaware County women connected Saturday morning during the 11th annual WOMENomics Forum.
The event, presented by Friends of the Delaware County Women’s Commission and the Delaware County BPW, brought together business, government and civic representatives to promote the needs of women. The morning forum was held at The Springhaven Club.
“We strive to present speakers and topics that will be of interest to everyone,” said attorney Terry Miller, who co-chaired the event with Tricia McLaughlin, a chemist with Teva Pharmaceutical. “The hope is we leave with the sense ‘if she can do this, so can I.’”
Created by the BPW Foundation, WOMENomics Forum is designed to raise awareness of issues impacting working women and begin necessary communitylevel problem solving. By gathering individuals in a discussion-based atmosphere, the seminars seek to find ways for working women, employers and others in the community to partner and address everyday issues, create successful workplaces and empower the workforce. Participants tackle concerns such as equal pay, diversity and work-life balance, sharing ideas to implement solutions.
Keynote speaker Nikki Johnson-Huston personified the challenging route many women travel. Born into poverty and homeless at age 9, she failed out of her first year in college. With the support of her grandmother, she ultimately graduated from St. Joseph’s University and earned a J.D./ M.B.A/ LL.M in taxation from Temple University. Her Philadelphia firm advocates for individuals and businesses to resolve their city tax issues.
“I realized the importance of resilience, to be a little bit sassy and the best version of myself,” she said. “My life has been messy, but I have succeeded more than I have failed.”
The job of finding a job has changed since some of the participants last sought employment and Debbi Bromley, Senior VP of Human Relations for GENEX, addressed 21st century career opportunities. She stressed the importance of knowing oneself, both strengths and areas for growth, and ways to promote the former through effective résumés and interviews, an active presence on social media and networking. The art of reinventing oneself and interacting with others to exchange information and develop contacts is essential.
“What you know is your key to the next step, for there is always something else out there,” she said. “Be that voice where people will lean in to see what you have to say.”
The balance of the forum engaged the audience in breakout sessions ranging from retirement planning at any age to increasing wellbeing at work. Lynne Williams, who specializes in writing résumés and LinkedIn profiles, offered strategic research-based approaches to amplify one’s presence on the site.
“People have a sevensecond attention span,” she said. “If you maximize your presence in three words, you have four left to impress them.”
Erin Cochran, who led the session on revealing redesign, was impressed with the women’s diversity and impact they made on one another.
“It is a nice cross section of ages, races, businesses and those currently seeking employment,” she said. “This is a great opportunity for women in Delaware County to get together.”