1. What does Public Policy Mean for Women Engineers? Presented by the FY16 Government Relations and Public Policy Committee Jan Williams, chair Elizabeth Bierman, chair elect

2. 2 Agenda Drivers History of SWE and Public Policy Activities and tools for public policy advocacy Where do you fit in?

3. SWE Strategic Goals Professional Excellence Goal 1: SWE will develop women engineers at all stages of their personal and professional lives. Globalization Goal 2 - SWE will be recognized as a global, inclusive organization, promoting diversity and inclusion and serving women engineers wherever they are. Advocacy Goal 3 - SWE will advocate for the inclusion and success of women, present and prospective, in engineering and technology.

4. Strategic Goal #3: Advocacy Strategic ObjectiveOperational Goal 3.1 Lead advocacy efforts with government and through the media. 3.1.1 Execute public relations/media per Special Projects plan Owner: Executive Director 3.1.2 Develop tools and resource plan for local GRPP Owner: Director of Advocacy 3.2 Provide resources for individuals to advocate for the Society’s Mission and for themselves. 3.2.1Train and communicate membership on components of advocacy and the advocacy tools in the membership toolkit Owner: Director of Advocacy 3.2.2 Develop two new awards in FY15 per the Awards Strategy Owner: Director of Emerging Initiatives 3.2.3 Establish external recognition for SWE Awards Owner: Executive Director Advocacy Goal 3 - SWE will advocate for the inclusion and success of women, present and prospective, in engineering and technology.

5. 5 How did SWE get involved in public policy? SWE became actively engaged in public policy a decade ago with the publication of two important position statements: –Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action –Application of Title IX to STEM –Statements have been added on STEM education and most recently, work-life integration These can be viewed on the SWE website

6. 6 What does SWE do to promote these positions? Through the GRPP and several HQ-based initiatives, SWE supports a number of activities to help educate the public about the issues that affect the success of women engineer: Sponsors Annual Capitol Hill Day – Congressional visits to bring our messages directly to our legislators Published a self-paced advocacy module for members, which contains information on public policy advocacy Promotes SWE positions through social media, SWE All Together, and our recently launched Legislative Action Center. Provides advocacy and public policy materials on the web to help individual SWE members who want to advocate for women in engineering.

7. 7 Annual Capitol Hill Day SWE sponsors a multi-agency annual Congressional visit event, which includes: Training for meeting with Congressional representatives Reception and breakfast with inspirational speakers Meetings with representatives It is fun, exciting, and feels good to personally advocate for STEM and women in engineering. YOU can make a difference! Jan Williams with Senator Martin Heinrich (D, NM)

8. 8 What’s it like to do a Congressional visit? Most meetings are with staffers, not with actual representatives. Staffers are friendly but usually on tight schedules. Meetings are as brief as 10 minutes, as long as 30 minutes. Short is the norm. Be prepared to make your case quickly. –Review materials on the SWE website and what is provided in the training packet prior to the visit. –Rehearse your spiel (training provided) –Leave a packet (provided by SWE) behind with your contact info. If you are asked anything you can’t answer, simply say so. Tell them you will find out. Pass the request on to Della Cronin, our DC representative, so she can follow up. Write thank-you notes afterwards!

9. 9 SWE Advocacy 101 Raising SWE Awareness in Your Community

10. 10 Legislative Action Center You can use the Legislative Action Center to find information about your elected officials (Congressional Delegates and State Legislature) Office Information Bio Staff Committees

11. 11 Materials The SWE website already has information and tools you can use. http://societyofwomenengineers.swe.org/index.php/membership/public- policy#activePanels

12. 12 So now it’s up to you… …to decide how you want to be involved in public policy: Take the self-paced advocacy training Review the wealth of reference materials on the SWE website Check out the Legislative Action Tool Take action in your home constituency: o Schedule a visit at the local offices of your US Congressional reps o Visit or write to your State and local officials o Don’t forget to target school boards for STEM advocacy!

13. 13 FY16 GRPP Committee Reporting to Mary Perkinson, Director of Advocacy Jan Williams, Chair Elizabeth Bierman, Chair-elect Kaitlyn Bunker Liz Buzzard Jennifer Cooper Linda Freeman Betty Irish Ashley Pietz Paula Stenzler Karla Tankersley Nicole Zimmerman HQ Contact - Karen Horting, SWE CEO Washington Liaison – Della Cronin, Washington Partners LLC