Women Of Project Mangement® Conference Recap Pt. 2
As we reflect on the amazing time we had at the first annual Women Of Project Management® conference, we are so grateful to the diverse group of women who came out to support the mission!
There were Black women and women of color from all around the world and from different walks of life. Many of these women work in project management or aspire to work in some project management capacity.
First annual Women Of Project Management® Conference
I had the pleasure of meeting Mawa, a Sandiego, CA resident with roots in Haiti. She explained that her inspiration for attending was to be a part of the membership. Surrounding herself with like-minded individuals was her main reason for taking the trip.
Mawa’s career goals are to step into entrepreneurship full-time as a project manager.
She was definitely in the right place because there was a room full of women already doing what she aspires to.
Her best takeaway from the conference was from our second group of panelists who discussed the road to certification. Knowing how to utilize your certifications and being intentional about what certifications to get was a major key!
And it’s so true - getting certifications just to get them without having an actual plan on what to do afterward is tricky. You put time, money, and your career trajectory at risk.
Currently, Mawa works for Earnest Young, one of the largest professional services networks in the world with headquarters in London, England.
She’s a manager for their learning lab. She is also the CEO of Mother of all Projects where she manages different projects for small businesses. What’s really cool is that Mawa was the project manager of one of Amber Rose’s annual Slut Walks in Los Angeles, CA! As you can see, project management skills are necessary for almost every type of business to accomplish its goals. Mawa is a SAFe Certified Agilist and a SAFe certified Product Owner.
The other beautiful conference attendee I was thrilled to meet was Elle! She had such a great energy about her and was super enthusiastic to be in the room.
Elle said that her inspiration for attending the conference was finding community. This was the inspiration for many of the attendees. I totally get it because in all my years of working in this industry and feeling like the only one, having the Women Of Project Management® community is so refreshing.
Elle’s immediate career goal is to take and pass the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam this month! Her long-term goal is to become a Sr. Technical Project Manager.
Elle, Women of Project Management Conference Attendee
When I asked her about her best takeaway from the conference, she paused in hopes of not getting emotional.
It had been an emotional day for many of us so I understood exactly how she felt. She explained that it was really great to see the restoration of Black women supporting each other - and that we can show up and be celebrated together.
Elle found the Women Of Project Management® group by searching for project management tips and classes on Tik Tok. Someone there was championing the community and led her to the WOPM Instagram page. She explained that she was so happy to have found the group and plans on joining the membership!
By, Airess Rembert, PMP, Member of Women Of Project Management & Blogger at The Nerd Bae
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If you're new to our community, Women Of Project Management is the only community created to support & amplify the voices of women & women of color in every specialty of the project management industry worldwide. We support women in every stage of their career, learn more at Women Of Project Management.
