Women in Design (WiD) Resources

Design and Networking

The Design and Networking Sub-Committee fosters connections for WiD by organizing events throughout the year that reach a diverse audience of design professionals. These events include monthly WiD Wednesdays that celebrate local design, an annual wellness event, a holiday charity party, and collaborations with various BSA committees and other organizations. Our events aim to reach across disciplines in the Boston design community, advance the success and leadership of women at all stages of their careers, and provide a social platform for professional growth.

2018 Co-chairs:
Laura Whitcomb / [email protected]
Brooke Helgerson / [email protected]

Professional Development

The Professional Development Sub-Committee was established to focus on programming that supports professional growth at all stages of a design career. Research initiatives in recent years have focused on diagnosing the roadblocks that face women in the industry. This Sub-Committee’s focus is on developing the skills needed to stay, flourish, and lead. We look to identify areas critical for success but often never explicitly addressed within a firm or by other professional organizations.

Programming for the upcoming year will be focused on effectively communicating design ideas, through the lens of storytelling. As designers, our challenge is frequently to take a multitude of competing needs, wants, and influences, and build consensus around a single vision amongst many stakeholders. Our audiences range from highly technical design partners to the general public in a community where we are outsiders. A series of workshops and discussions will focus on three different aspects of communicating design ideas to successfully and positively impact the built environment.

Co-Chairs:
Stacey Chapman / [email protected]
Michelle Miller / [email protected]

Research

The Women in Design Committee initiates, supports, and sponsors research efforts, with an aim to better understand the professional culture of the area and quantify these efforts for encouraging more equitable practices. The research that is currently in the works includes:

How We Work Survey
Girl Uninterrupted Survey

If you are interested in becoming involved in these initiatives - or if you would like to propose additional initiatives or collaborations - please contact the Leadership Co-Chairs to discuss.