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The Hampton Roads Workforce Council, in partnership with WHRO Public Media and support from GEICO, is hosting the inaugural Women in Skilled Careers Summit. 

This event, set for noon-5 p.m. June 8, features community conversations focused on creating awareness of the challenges that women face while enrolling in trade programs and working in skilled careers. It is being held at Old Dominion University Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center, 1030 University Blvd., Suffolk.

Featured speakers at the summit are Summit will feature the following speakers: Hampton Roads Workforce Council Chief Financial Officer Stacy Daniels-Fayson and Newport News Shipbuilding Director of Education for the Apprentice School Latitia McCane, Ph.D. The First Lady of Virginia Suzanne Younkin is also set to make a virtual guest speaker appearance.

Panelists will discuss strategies that could improve the gender divide in Virginia’s workforce participation rates and help identify solutions that support a successful working culture for women in local industries. 

Panelists for the summit are G2Ops Chief Executive Officer Tracy Gregorio, New Horizons Regional Educational Center welding instructor Pierrette Swan, Brandie McGhee of the Hampton Roads Sanitation District, Dominion Energy Director of Community Engagement and Local Affairs Tonya Byrd, Surge Force safety administrator Christina Corace, General Dynamics NASSCO-Norfolk senior technical proposal writer Ali Broemeling, MBA, and East Coast Repair and Fabrication project manager Kelli Royals.

In 2019, The Workforce Council and WHRO partnered to launch the pilot of the WISC program as a barrier-breaking initiative, which assisted 38 women in completing a four-week pre-apprenticeship/soft skills program. For more information, and to register, visit https://bit.ly/3WPPai8.