BAC Sisters Attend Women’s Leadership Conference at Training Center

A dozen BAC sisters from around the country sharpened their supervisory skills by attending the union’s bi-annual Women’s Leadership Conference, held at the John J. Flynn BAC/IMI International Training Center in Bowie, Maryland.

The conference gives BAC women the chance to earn IMTEF’s Supervisor Certification by participating in a variety of

 sessions. Classes included Foundations for Safety Leadership, Blueprint Reading, CPR Training, and Mentorship Matters, the latter featuring how to have conversations with both a mentor and a mentee.

Facilitators included BAC Director of Health and Safety Liliana Calderon; BAC Executive Council At-Large members Kristine Azzoli (Local 1 NY) and Angela Henderson (Local 1 Washington/Alaska); BAC field representative Mariela Duran (Local 8 Southeast); Jackie Townsend, regional director at IMI Job Corps; Laurie Harris, retired bricklayer and International Masonry Institute (IMI) instructor, and Dave Wysocki, International Masonry Training and Education Foundation (IMTEF) Safety and Training Director.

Conference attendees also heard from Chris Cain, Executive Director of the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), and Alex Jacobi, Director of BAC's Member Assistance Program (MAP).

“I learned so much,” said Michele Riley, journeyworker with Local 2 Michigan and a 25-year BAC member. “Everyone has a different experience, and hearing about those experiences and different points of view matters.” 

Calderon said women who attend the conference will leave with a network of sisters they can depend on for guidance. “Conferences like these can really inspire the women of the BAC to become leaders – to be champions in telling their BAC stories, including how the union has opened up possibilities they may have not had,” she said. 

“The Women’s Leadership Conference is all about bringing women together within our trade and showing them the camaraderie, guidance, and support that exists here in the BAC,” said Tyese Levon of Local 3 Massachusetts / Maine / New Hampshire / Rhode Island. “Having people in your corner who have your back can be a gamechanger as a woman in the trades, so this mentorship and support is important.”

Laurie Harris, who taught Foundations for Safety Leadership and Blueprint Reading, said the conference is a source of inspiration for women craftworkers, particularly those who are new to their industry and may feel isolated in their career. “In California, I worked for years before I ever saw another woman on a job site,” she said. It also gives veteran craftworkers the opportunity to pass along their knowledge and serve as cheerleaders for apprentices, she added. 

Other sisters in attendance were thrilled to be able to continue furthering their education with IMI and BAC. “I did not know that there was this much support for women in the trades,” said Vanessa Ball, a Mountain West ADC sister in attendance. “I am starting my own business and the benefits of being here are really too many to count. The resources that are available and the support from the instructors and other sisters are amazing! You can’t find this anywhere else.”

Sabrina St. Pierre, journeyworker with Local 1 Washington and Alaska, said the conference was an opportunity to add to her toolbox of skills. “I want to be able to gain as much knowledge as I can and be as valuable as I can be to the people around me,” she explained. St. Pierre added she’s met some of her best friends who are now more like family through BAC, and the conference was another opportunity to connect with them.

One of those close friends is Priscilla Rocco, journeyworker with Local 1 New York, who praised the conference for bringing together a strong group of women at all levels of their career. She encouraged other sisters, especially apprentices, to get involved in future conferences, “We need your visibility.”