Pub. 2 2019-2020 Issue 4

18 Asphalt each day, they featured a woman doing a different job in the asphalt industry. Her photo accompanied a brief biography and answers to a series of questions about her work experience and personal life. Over 100 days through an enormous media campaign, people in the industry were introduced to chemists, project managers, roller operators, CEOs, lab technicians, flag- gers and women doing every job that touches the design, con- struction and maintenance of asphalt pavements. The campaign was so successful it caught the eye of Monica Dutcher, editor of NAPA’s Asphalt Pavement magazine. She began dedicating the magazine’s July/August issues to women in the asphalt indus- try with the 100Women campaign as the first cover story. In July 2020,WofA featured“20 toWatch in 2020”video interviews show- casing 20 women making a difference in the asphalt industry. It has recently been announced that the theme for 2021 will feature women working in the field (more details to come). In addition to using social media platforms, WofA wanted to connect with their industry colleagues on a more personal level. Thus, theWhereWe Belong podcast was born. Over the past two years, the founding members have interviewed a dozenwomen holding various roles. In 2019-2020 they released a successful six-part series featuring women in leadership positions, including five of the 14 female state DOT secretaries or directors of transportation and Nicole Nason, the FHWA administrator. Growing the Organization Three areas of focus for 2020 have beenWofA Branches, theWofA Mentorship Programand theWofA Job Board. The ladies knew that it was critical to get local branches up and running for the organ- ization to meet its goals. Under the direction of board member Kirsten Fowler and her working group, a partnership agreement was created for SAPAs interested in supporting a branch in their respective state. To date, they have launched eight official branches (Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri and Utah), with another half dozen expected to launch in 2021. With so few women in this industry, and realizing how much they could have benefited from a mentor, especially early in their careers, theWofA Mentorship Programwas especially important to Miller and Ozybko. They turned to a fellow board member (and a woman with a lot of experience putting together one of these programs), Kari Shifflet. With her working group, Kari put together the inaugural 2021 WofA Mentorship Program com- prising over 100 women and men. The program is no longer accepting applicants for 2021 but will open back up again next fall for 2022. Before the global pandemic, the industry’s paramount issue was a shortage of workers, especially those working on paving crews, at the plant or in the lab. Following the mission of WofA to bring more women into the asphalt industry, the ladies wanted to posi- tion their website (www.womenofasphalt.org ) as a clearinghouse for jobs specific to this industry targeting ladies. Companies posting jobs on the free platform tell people their company sees the value in a diverse workforce. New jobs are added daily, and the team continues to explore ways to engage with ladies who might not have considered a career in this field. Where Do We Go From Here? Miller and Ozybko frequently lament that WofA is “a labor of love.”What started as a desire to make the industry a little more “female-friendly”has grown into something so much more. “We knew the things we wanted to accomplish. We knewwhere there were opportunities for improvement to help women succeed in this industry, and we set out to try and make things a little better. Every once in a while, we would look up and see we just registered our 1,000th member, the FHWA had incorporated us in their Women’s Initiative Playbook, or we were invited to the CONEXPO-CON/AGG opening ceremonies for the unveil- ing of a 30-foot statue of a female construction worker (to go alongside the two male statues that greet visitors). And those are the moments we realize, ‘Yes, we are making a difference.’” said Ozybko. Miller served as the organization’s first president (2018-2020), and Ozybko is the current president (2020-2022). 3 What are the origins of this organization in Utah? We just started our Utah branch thanks to UAPA’s Reed Ryan and Keri Dumont. How did you get involved with it? I have had the distinct privilege of working for the past several years now with Keri and Reed on the planning committee for the Utah Asphalt Conference. I have put together several pres- entations for safety and other topics. Reed and Keri asked me to be the chair of the Utah branch of WofA. Why isWofA important? WofA is a national organization that supports women in all aspects of the asphalt industry. It is important to provide a plat- form to network, support and create opportunities for women in this tough industry. What areWofA’s goals and achievements? To promote and grow membership, to create and foster men- toring and networking opportunities for women in the asphalt industry, and to advocate for women in the asphalt industry. Q&A WITH NICOLE SHIELDS ABOUT WofA continued from page 15