BAC Sisters Earn Supervisor Certification at Women’s Leadership Conference

At the start of the year, twelve BAC sisters from across the country attended the union’s Women Leadership Conference to develop their capacity as leaders both on job sites and in their locals. 

Held at the John J. Flynn BAC/IMI International Training Center in Maryland, the conference gave BAC women the opportunity to earn their Supervisor Certificate by participating in Foreperson Training, Blueprint Reading, Foundations for Safety Leadership, Mentorship Matters, and CPR/First Aid. Classes were taught by BAC Director of Health and Safety Liliana Calderon and retired Local 3 CA instructor Laurie Harris, along with IMTEF staff. 

“There’s so much that you can do with this trade,” said Vanessa Hekkel of Local 4 IN/KY. “With this opportunity I’ve been given to further my education, hopefully I’ll have the chance to run work in the near future.” 

In addition to supervisor training, attendees enjoyed a visit to the BAC headquarters and National Building Museum in Washington, DC for behind-the-scenes tours. 

“Seeing BAC’s headquarters in DC opened my eyes to how big we are as a union. It was so awesome,” said Erica Denton of ADC 1 of IL.

BAC’s sisters also heard from Latifa Lyles, Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Women in Construction at the Department 
of Commerce, to discuss how the Department and Biden-Harris Administration are supporting women’s access to union 
construction jobs, through initiatives such as Million Women in Construction.

“I wanted to take this step to attend the conference to set the foundation for sisters at my own local,” said Marissa Williams of Local 9 PA. “Coming here has shown me that I have a whole support system and sisterhood to lean on. We have women in leadership roles at BAC; we don’t have to stop at being a journeyperson. I encourage everyone to take advantage of the opportunities at their disposal through our union.”