PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - The annual Women’s History Month event at Picatinny Arsenal featured a two-hour, fast-packed networking event, which allowed for seasoned professionals to offer advice and answer questions of employees looking to gain insight and perspectives.
The event at the Lindner Conference Center on March 19 was sponsored by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center, the largest organization at Picatinny.
Twelve women briefly introduced themselves by providing highlights of their education, work experience, and a fun fact about themselves before breaking into a dozen breakout sessions, allowing attendees to each have a six-minute interaction with the mentor.
“We have a spectacular group of women representing various stages in their careers, ages, ethnic background, etc.,” Gihan Oraby, director, Networked Lethality and System Readiness Technologies Directorate said. Oraby is the council’s co-chair and helped orchestrate the event.
“The hope is that what is shared here today will resonate with someone. Even in the five- or six-minute engagement, something may spark, and hopefully they will continue a relationship with that mentor outside of today’s event.”
Kathleen Kubis, a systems engineer, said that she received guidance and advice on taking career opportunities and training, and to work on building her network.
“I gained insights and perspectives from female leaders in the Armaments Center workforce. Each of the leaders had some key wisdom to share,” Kubis said.
“Get involved and build your network,” she added. “Go to events like this one! You’ll meet not only the senior leaders, but also current and future colleagues. Doing so builds your network, and you will support each other as you progress through your careers.”
“I enjoyed speaking to such a varied group of panelists and found the event to be a great steppingstone towards expanding my network beyond WSEC, where I have been for my entire eight-year career,” said Lindsay Clayton, a mechanical engineer.
“I also learned about other career building events and resources that I hadn’t heard of before,” Clayton added. “I was attracted to the event by the small-group concept and the fact that the panelists were asked to prepare one golden nugget of advice so I knew it would be easy to gather quick takeaways.”
“Each year the National Women’s History Alliance designates a yearly theme for Women’s History Month,” said Cynthia Perazzo, executive director, Weapons and Software Engineering Center (WSEC), part of the DEVCOM Armaments Center, said in the event’s opening remarks.
“The 2024 theme is ‘Women who advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion.’ I really love this theme because I believe in helping others and giving a hand. The theme really resonates with me, which is why I thought a mentoring event would be a good way to honor Women’s History Month here at Picatinny Arsenal.”
This year’s theme recognizes women throughout the country who understand that, for a positive future, there is a need to eliminate bias and discrimination entirely from our lives and institutions.
The Armaments Center’s DEI Council maintains a pledge to further its efforts and commitment to address diversity, inclusion, and equity in institutional policies, procedures, and practices.
Council members serve in an advisory capacity and promote initiatives aligned with the vision and mission of the DEVCOM Campaign Plan and Talent Management Strategy. The intent of this council is to continue to develop the necessary initiatives, based on best practices and expertise in diversity, inclusion, and equity, as well as feedback from the Armaments Center and larger Army community, to strengthen its ability to learn, adapt, improve, and continue to lead change to ensure that all members of the community feel valued and welcome.
The Armaments Center DEI Council meets monthly and is currently made up of approximately 20 members, of which Perazzo also serves as the chairperson. The organization supports Special Emphasis Programs throughout the year as well as sponsors its own events.
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