WID -

by Norma Byron (May 2002)

WID Installs New Board, Looks to Future

At its annual meeting-held in mid-April at the Army-Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va.-Women In Defense installed its board of directors for the coming year, reviewed its accomplishments for the previous year and discussed the association's goals.

The new board officers are: President Norma Byron, of The Ashlawn Group; Vice President Janice Menker, of Current Technologies Corporation; Secretary Heather Owens, of Versar Inc.; Treasurer Becky Patton, of Booz Allen Hamilton, and Horizons Director Marie E. Danco, of TRW.

WID's membership is at a record high, with more than 400 members nationwide, and continues to grow at a rapid rate. The board attributes this to a number of factors:

A general increase in interest in national-security careers after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
A related growth in defense-oriented jobs, both in the public and private sectors.
The continued expansion of WID's Iowa-Illinois Chapter.
The founding of a new chapter at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.
Expressions of interest in forming additional chapters at other several locations across the United States.
The successful New Member Reception and Job Fair, held last January in Arlington.
An overall increase in the number of WID events.
The continued support of WID's mission by NDIA-both at the national headquarters and at NDIA chapters.

WID continues to look for more ways to connect with members. Communications Director Carmella Thompson, of BAE Systems, is developing an e-mail newsletter to provide an additional venue for communicating with members.

"In the WID newsletter, we will highlight WID events, post job changes and promotions, and generally look for more ways for WID members to communicate and benefit from each other's experiences," Thompson said. Details will be released as they become available.

Picatinny Arsenal Organizes

On March 6, WID President Norma Byron, then-Vice President Julie Alford and NDIA Membership Director Jane Casey met with 117 professional women from Picatinny Arsenal, in Dover, N.J. At that meeting-a luncheon sponsored by NDIA's Picatinny Chapter-a committee was formed to organize a Picatinny chapter of WID. A total of 35 joined that day.

Barbara Thomas, of Decision Systems Technologies, Inc., and Barbara Machak, of the arsenal's Fire Support Armaments Center, were chosen to lead the organizing committee, which will draft chapter by-laws and elect a slate of officers.

"We stand ready to assist WID in forming a chapter to promote professional development and career networking here at Picatinny," said John Gehbauer, president of NDIA's Picatinny Chapter.

NDIA's support helps both sustain WID and form new regional chapters. WID is grateful, for example, for the continuing support of NDIA's Iowa-Illinois Chapter. The formation of new chapters is one realization of the power and potential synergy behind WID's affiliation with NDIA, which dates back to 1995. NDIA supports WID in many ways, including managing WID's finances and accounting, publishing the membership directory, and developing and maintaining the Web site.

Norma Byron, president of The Ashlawn Group, LLC, is president of Women In Defense.

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