Women of Manufacturing Summit Looks to the Future

Roughly one hundred participants focused on the future of Connecticut manufacturing gathered for the Women of Manufacturing Summit 2018: We Are Makers at Goodwin College’s Business and Manufacturing Center on May 16.

Individuals interested in encouraging women to consider career options in business and manufacturing discussed dispelling myths about today’s manufacturing environments; the variety and volume of job opportunities; compensation issues; and shift options for women, particularly those balancing family responsibilities and continuing education. Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman welcomed attendees with opening remarks about her own working history, and the future of women in manufacturing.

“This Summit really shifted the mindsets of our audience to understand the unlimited opportunity within the manufacturing industry,” said Kate Bolduc, Director of Business Innovations at Goodwin. “It was a great opportunity for makers to help dispel manufacturing myths, as well as for women interested in manufacturing to network with industry professionals.”

The Summit included a panel discussion moderated by Cyndi Zoldy, Executive Director, Smaller Manufacturers Association of Connecticut. Panelists included:

Lillian Bartkowicz, President, Richards Machine Tool Co., Inc.

Marietta S. Lee, Vice President and Corporate Secretary, The Lee Company

Laura Pallas, Quality Systems Administrator, Columbia Manufacturing, Inc.

Kiley Russell, Inspector, EDAC Technologies

Lori Theriault, CEO and Founder, WORK IT!

“Through their collective decades of experience, the women on our panel demonstrated the power of manufacturing not just as an industry, but as a first choice of career,” Bolduc added.

As part of the Summit, a photographic exhibit, courtesy of Jobs to Move America, featured stunning photographs of women in all areas of modern manufacturing. The Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Deanne Fitzmaurice, based in San Francisco, attended the Summit and spoke to attendees about her work.

The Summit was supported by Andrews Benefits of Farmington (event sponsor) and the Hartford Business Journal (media sponsor).

To learn more about manufacturing and business programs at Goodwin, visit www.goodwin.edu/manufacturing and www.goodwin.edu/business. Individuals interested in about the business partnerships with Goodwin are encouraged to contact Bolduc at kbolduc@goodwin.edu or 860-913-2155.