WID offers opportunities for networking.

• Author: Menker, Janice M.
• Position: Brass tracks

The National Board of Women In Defense is laying out plans for the future of the organization, as it debates how best to serve its members.

To that end, the board came up with a catchphrase that captures the essence of WID and what it does: "Women supporting national security through education and professional development."

WID is an association that operates as a nonprofit business, collecting revenues and paying bills with that revenue. WID focuses on mentoring and promoting educational events that enable individuals to achieve their own successes while also contributing to the successes of their organizations.

WID chapters are forming rapidly around the country in areas where NDIA chapters have a strong presence. Individually and collectively, they are transforming the industry and helping companies become more agile and responsive to government's needs.

Women have been a factor in the defense community for decades, noted Mary Adams, president of WID's Iowa/Illinois Chapter. "The concept of women working in defense first manifested itself in the national conscious, during World War II, in the form of "Rosie the Riveter," the symbol of women who took aircraft-related wartime jobs." Adams said.

Women played a prominent and critical role in the ordnance industry. Those women--known as Women Ordnance Workers, or WOW--responded to a need for highly skilled defense workers with the manual dexterity necessary for the production of ammunition and fuses.

Today, WID is a continuation of that historic Role, expanding beyond Rosie's narrow, albeit important, scope. Women working in factories or as engineers, lawyers, company presidents and members of Congress are no longer a novelty. WID remains committed to supporting these women through opportunities for professional development education and networking.

This month, WID highlights the Iowa/Illinois Chapter, which formed in, spring 2000 with 35 members. In three years, the chapter membership has grown to more than 85. Chapter community and social events provide resources for women and the defense industry, attracting new members and setting an example for other chapters to follow.

The Iowa/Illinois Annual Symposium is the chapter's fundraiser for the year. Success has come through the hard work of the program's chair and chapter membership.

NDIA provided the seed money...