NIST OWM is pleased to be participating in the new Women in Weights and Measures panel session at the 108th NCWM Annual Meeting this month. This concept was spawned from recent discussions between Mahesh Albuquerque (NCWM Chair) and Katrice Lippa (NIST OWM Chief) to spotlight current women leaders and professionals in the weights and measures community and to create awareness for the need to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage all to attend the upcoming panel session at the NCWM Annual meeting and support our women coworkers and colleagues.
In line with NIST's DEIA Strategic Plan priorities, OWM plans to incorporate mentoring and professional development for women and other underrepresented groups as well as all early-career individuals into forthcoming OWM "Information Hours". Half of our OWM staff is composed of women and serve as an example demographic for the community. These women are dedicated metrologists, weights and measures coordinators, training and administrative professionals, national and international standards experts, and physical scientists. Thus, we plan to leverage this strength and share our wealth of experiences with the broader community. We also encourage further discussion on improving diversity.
We plan to launch our professional development discussions in Fall 2023 with Tina Butcher as featured speaker. Tina is an accomplished NIST OWM program leader, physical scientist, and weights and measures coordinator as well as a Maryland state field inspector. She brings over 40 years of service and dedication to the Weights and Measures field along with her lifelong passion for training and providing professional development of weights and measures field inspectors in our community.
We welcome and encourage everyone from the weights and measures community - from the newcomers to the experts - to join us at a soon to be announced OWM "Information Hours". This informal meeting will provide an opportunity to share all our unique perspectives, as well as a forum to recognize and promote the ongoing contributions of women in weights and measures.
