I’m so grateful for the opportunity to lead the Women in International Trade Association (WIIT) as President since June last year.
Serving with the board and officers of WIIT over this time was challenging during the open-ended quarantine that stretched from weeks to more than a year, but it also offered me an opportunity to think of the wellbeing and needs of members rather than myself and (Zoom) meetings full of expansion, learning, and connection.
I had been looking forward to moderating panels and chairing in-person meetings while donning my favorite feel-good suits, but instead it was Zooming in a blouse, shorts and flip flops surrounded by the silence of my she-shed. Nonetheless, I am proud that during my presidency, we didn’t resign ourselves to maintaining status quo.
We delivered more programming than ever, hit higher participation rates, added corporate sponsors and individual members, raised funds for our Charitable Trust in an online auction, doled out scholarships to women students, and donated to support community groups helping minority girls in the District. I was particularly focused on ensuring our programming included professional development and skills-building opportunities for our members as well as online networking to promote and nourish our unique WIIT community.
Here are some program screen shots – lots of online moderating and interviews, which I enjoyed tremendously.
