C+S February 2023 Vol. 9 Issue 2 (web)

In light of the ongoing labor shortage in the AEC industry, these issues were not only about equality, but also about practicality. The AEC industry cannot afford to let the issues of gender roles and inequity stand in the way of appealing to the best and brightest minds. Elevate - HER® was founded based on the real experience of women in the AEC industry and the consensus was clear: women need to feel that they can have a meaningful career as engineers or designers or surveyors or CAD technicians. How it works Potential new cohort members are asked to apply for the ElevateHER® program throughout the year. The new ElevateHER® cohort is an - nounced at the start of the new year and the new members are invited to join current cohort members at the Winter/Spring ElevateHER® Sympo - sium. The 2023 ElevateHER® Symposium & Cohort Kickoff Retreat is being held in Dallas, Texas on February 15th through the 17th.

At this event, cohort members will work together–guided and encour - aged by advisors–engaging in workshops, learning about past Elevate - HER® projects, participating in panel discussions, and hearing from keynote speakers. These critical discussions and networking activities will serve as the catalyst for our 2023 ElevateHER® projects. The goal of ElevateHER® is to work together to find a way forward– not only assessing and acknowledging the troubled waters around us, but building bridges to a better future. One of the foundational compo - nents of the ElevateHER® program is the ability to create actionable plans. Within the ElevateHER® cohort, smaller teams are formed with the concrete goal of improving the recruitment and retention of women in the AEC industry. Cohort members who joined ElevateHER® in previous years return as advisors to help the new cohort create their plans. These teams continue to check in monthly and meet at the El - evateHER® Mid Year Summit in June. These projects are also then presented at Zweig Group’s annual ElevateAEC conference.

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February 2023

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