Past Events

SWEP NC Triangle Activities

• Programs including speakers on environmental policy, emerging trends, women's career development issues, and more
• Networking through social events and LinkedIn
  (add the NC Society of Women Environmental Professionals to your group list)
• Outreach to undergraduate and graduate students studying environmental science and policy

December 2011 : Social Member Meeting with Speaker

"The Benefits of Personal Brand Management"
by Wanda Harris Pemberton
Founder and CEO of Sirrah Coaching and Consulting

Monday, December 12, 2011, 6:00PM-8:00PM
Earth Fare - Community Meeting Room, Raleigh, NC

Important year-end social and member meeting to discuss the future of SWEP! We also hosted a special presentation on the benefits of personal brand management. We learned some career management tips and strategies, with an emphasis on social marketing and actions we can take that are within our control - including how we present ourselves, how we respond, and how we can connect with others more effectively.

Information about our presenter:
Wanda Harris Pemberton is a certified Personal Branding consultant, Motivational Speaker, Certified Job and Career Transition Coach, Certified Image Consultant, and Certified Life Coach.

VOLUNTARY CHARITABLE DONATION: To help empower Triangle area women, we will be collecting donations of professional work attire and accessories to donate to Dress for Success. Dress for Success provides career counseling, mentoring, and professional attire for disadvantaged women. www.dressforsuccess.org

Food and drink was available onsite for purchase.

July 2011 : Tour

"Local Water Reclamation Facility Tour"
at North Cary Water Reclamation Facility

Friday, July 29, 2011, 12:00PM-1:00PM
1900 Old Reedy Creek Road, Cary 27513

Ever wonder what happens to the water you flush down the toilet, use to brush your teeth, or use to wash your clothes?

Please join the Society of Women Environmental Professionals - NC Triangle Chapter for a private tour of the North Cary Water Reclamation Facility (NCWRF). Find out how wastewater is treated so that it can be reused again in an environmentally conscious way.

Information about the facility:
The NCWRF is a 12 million gallons per day (MGD) facility that receives wastewater from collection systems on the north side of Cary. The mission of the NCWRF is to treat wastewater from the community to a level that meets or exceeds the permit limits issued by regulatory authorities as cost effectively as possible.

June 2011 : Workshop

"WoMAN-Up: 10 tips to strategic career MANagement"
by Glenda S. Lee
Associate Director, Nicholas School Career Services

Wednesday, June 15, 2011, 6:00PM-8:00PM
LSRC room A158, Nicholas School, Duke University

This beneficial presentation discussed how to enhance your career MANagement, highlighting career DOs and DON'Ts for women.

Information about our presenter:
Since joining the Nicholas School in 2003, Glenda Lee has four times been awarded outstanding staff member by the graduate students. Her passion is to share her talents with those seeking theirs. Glenda previously worked as an outplacement career consultant coaching and facilitating career workshops for over 2000 clients. Additionally, Glenda has 15 years human resources management experience in corporate and manufacturing settings. During her time in industry, she earned the internationally recognized Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR) certification from the Society of Human Resource Management.

March 2011 : Speaker panel

"Nanotechnology Mythbusters"

Tuesday, March 1, 2011, 6:00PM-8:30PM
RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC

Nanoparticles are in my socks! Nanoparticles can never be cleaned up once released into the environment! Nanoparticles have completely different properties than the material they come from!

Which of these statements are true? Nanotechnology sounds futuristic but did you know that it's already incorporated into many consumer products being sold in the market today? What are nanoparticles? What are they used for? What do or don't we know about them? We gathered leading researchers in the field to learn the truth about nanotechnology.

Our distinguished panel included:

AGENDA
6:00 - 6:30 Networking (hors d'oeuvres) & Hands-on Nano Exhibits
6:30 - 8:00 Panel Introduction/Presentations
8:00 - 8:30 Nanotechnology Mythbusting

This was a free event sponsored by RTI International and the Society for Risk Analysis- Research Triangle Chapter(SRA-RTC). Hors d'oeuvres and soft drinks were provided during the networking hour.

This event was co-hosted with the Duke Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society.

January 2011 : Member meeting

"Annual Member Meeting"

Thursday, January 20, 2011, 6:00PM-8:00PM
Food Court at Prime Outlets Mall, 1001 Airport Blvd., Morrisville, NC

Happy New Year!! Let's start the New Year off right! Please join the Society of Women Environmental Professionals - NC Triangle Chapter for an opportunity to network and to plan for 2011 activities. We want to know what is important and of interest to you!

• What topics would YOU like to see SWEP cover this year?
• What are YOUR ideas for future events and activities?
• Want to learn more about the different committees and how you can become more involved?

December 2010 : Social event

"Dining with a Documentary - FLOW"

Tuesday, December 7, 2010, 6:00PM-8:30PM
The Lofts at Lakeview, 2616 Erwin Rd., Durham, NC

We gathered at the theater at the Lofts at Lakeview to view and discuss FLOW, an 84-minute documentary "investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis".

AGENDA
6:00 - 6:30 Networking
6:30 - 8:00 Documentary
8:00 - 8:30 Discussion/Networking
Pizza and salad was purchased for dinner; the cost of the event was $7 paid for upon arrival. In addition, we collected donations for the Eno River Association. Contributions were voluntary and will help to continue preserving the water quality of the Eno River through land protection and other programs.

Information about our donation recepient:
The Eno River Association is a 501c3 non-profit conservation organization whose mission is to conserve and protect the natural, cultural and historic resources of the Eno River basin. Since 1966, the Association has worked actively to protect the lands and waters along the Eno River and its tributaries.

November 2010 : Workshop

"Is Fear Limiting Your Career?"
by Jillian Bowlin

Tuesday, November 16, 2010, 6:00PM-8:00PM
Durham Public Library, 4505 S. Alston Avenue, South Regional Meeting Room

Learning how to be an effective public speaker can be the key difference between success and failure in your life at home, at work and in your own community. Unfortunately, many people suffer from fear of public speaking. What good is having the information you want to deliver if you can't keep your audience's attention? Please join the NC Triangle chapter of SWEP for a public speaking coaching seminar. Jillian Bowlin will help you identify your strengths and areas of opportunity in public speaking with an interactive workshop with particular emphasis on exuding confidence, engaging your audience and eliminating distractions. The skills you enhance will benefit your speaking in any setting: at home, in job interviews, professional presentations, and beyond.

Information about our presenter:
Jillian Bowlin is a certified senior professional in human resources (SPHR) with a passion for public speaking and a desire to help business professionals improve their confidence in speaking. Jillian graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor of science in electronic media and broadcasting. She has been voted best speaker and best speech evaluator on multiple occasions within capital city toastmasters, where she holds the office of secretary. She lives in Cary with her husband and 2 children.

October 2010 : Speaker event

"The Carbon-Free Home"
by Rebekah Hren

Wednesday, October 26, 2010, 6:00PM-8:00PM
Duke University, Levine Science Research Center (LSRC); Room A247

Want to live in an ecologically mindful home, but don't have the time or money to buy a chunk of land and start digging? Chances are it is simpler, cheaper, more practical, and makes more environmental sense to convert your existing residence into a green oasis than attempt the onerous task of building something from scratch. From conservation to all things solar to rainwater collection to edible landscaping, the Hrens detail how-to projects for all aspects of our homes that provide immediate empowerment, save money, and help restore the health of our planet and ourselves in their book, The Carbon-Free Home. Also, just released:A Solar Buyer's Guide for the Home and Office. Both were available for sale at the event.

Information about our presenter:
Rebekah Hren lives in Durham, where she and her husband Stephen are both actively involved with renewable energy, natural building, and edible urban gardening. Rebekah is a NABCEP-certified solar photovoltaic installer, licensed electrical contractor, and ISPQcertified solar instructor for Solar Energy International.

September 2010 : Lunchtime training event

"Effective Networking - Developing your 30-second commercial"
by Ken Elstein, MBA

Monday, September 20, 2010, 12:00PM-1:00PM
EPA-RTP Campus, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, RTP, NC

What kind of networker are you? At networking events, do you feel like hiding in a corner or do you walk in confident that you can hold your own? Do you seek out such events to explore possibilities or avoid them out of fear of embarrassing yourself?

Effective networking need not be painful - even for introverts! - as long as you are clear about what you want to achieve and have a strategy for getting there. In this interactive session, you will learn how to develop a natural, purposeful conversation-starter that helps you get the information you need. You will then have the opportunity to draft your own opener, try it out on others, and get the feedback you need to feel well equipped and confident for your next networking event.

Please take your first step in becoming a better networker by joining us for this lunchtime event, open to SWEP members and all others interested in participating! As this session begins at noon, feel free to bring your lunch, or food can be purchased at the EPA Lakeside Café.

Information about our presenter:
Ken Elstein, MBA, is an Organizational Change and Communications Specialist for ORD’s Office of Administrative and Research Support, who provides training, coaching, and consulting services to help employees at all levels become more effective and influential. He is a Distinguished Toastmaster, and is pursuing certification as a Professional Coach.

July 2010 : Networking social event with presentation

"Improving Public Health Through Local Sustainable Food Systems"
by Dr. Alice Ammerman

Wednesday, July 28, 2010, 5:30PM-7:00PM
Bocci Trattoria & Pizzeria at Sutton Station, 5850 Fayetteville Road, Durham, NC

Dr. Ammerman is a professor in the Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC, and is the Director for the CDC-funded Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Her research focuses on the design and testing of innovative clinical and community-based nutrition and physical activity intervention approaches for chronic disease risk reduction in low income and minority populations. Dr. Ammerman has strong research, practice, and policy collaborations across the state addressing childhood obesity. In an effort to improve access to healthy food for the underserved, much of her research addresses local food systems and social entrepreneurship as sustainable approaches to addressing significant public health challenges.

AGENDA
5:30 - 5:50 Networking
5:50 - 6:00 Brief SWEP Meeting
6:00 - 7:00 Presentation by Dr. Ammerman followed by Q&A
Light appetizers provided and menu items/drinks available for purchase.

Additional Past Programs & Events:

• Transportation and Environment in the Triangle: Are we the next Atlanta?
• Working Women, Working Smarter Seminar Series - Guerilla Marketing, Balancing Work and 'My Other Life', Finding the Best People, and Career Planning
• "The Me You See" Image Consulting Seminar
• Professional Women's Clothing Drive at Tyler's Taproom
• Environmental Consulting 101 Panel
• Triangle's Green Home Market Workshop