WIB-RTP: Summer Bash – Member Appreciation and Networking Event, August 9, 2023

On August 9, 2023, the RTP Chapter hosted an event with the purpose of recognizing our members and bringing them together. The event was an in-person event at the RTP Boxyard facility. The event started with our Committee Chair, Shirley Paddock, presenting one of our sponsors, Arcadis DPS Group, HR Talent Acquisition Manager Sara Malloy. Sara led the implementation of their local strategic recruitment and outreach initiative to attract more female and diverse candidates; in that time, they have subsequently doubled the female population across the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction Industries. As a global company run by professionals across various STEM disciplines and expertise, they are grateful to every woman who has contributed to the inclusive culture and success of our team. This year Arcadis was named by Forbes as one of the Top Female Friendly Companies in the World. 

The event continued with the presentation of the WIB-RTP awards:

• 2023 Sponsor Award (most supportive sponsor) – Career Path Solutions (Heidi Giusto)
• 2023 Leading Sponsor Award – Advance Recruiting Partners (Jennifer Maffia)
• 2023 Long Tenure Volunteer Award – Sathya Ganesan (10 years)
• 2023 Long Tenure Active Member – Tomoko Maeda-Chubachi (5 years)

Throughout the event, we did multiple raffles. We started by raffling 2 WIB memberships to our non-members. The winners of the free memberships were  Chelsea Sullivan and Julia Yates. In addition, we raffled (1) headshot photography package from our friends at RTP Photo & Video. Our winner was Carrie Hanger. Big Thanks to our partners at RTP Photo for such a generous donation! The event lasted from 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. This was an immensely successful event where we fulfilled our objective to bring our community together, providing an environment of recognition, networking, and getting to know each other.  

Submitted by Yadi Salamander