In 2017, Timmons Group launched Women in Design, a new internal program that features a variety of events and courses that encourage the personal and professional development of women within our firm. To learn more about the program, we sat down with Lee Ann Gudorp, PE, LEED AP, a Senior Project Manager in our Private Land Development division and one of the founders of Women in Design at Timmons Group.
Tell us about the Women in Design Program at Timmons Group.
The Women in Design program is for all women working at Timmons Group involved in any aspect of design including but not limited to: engineering, landscape architecture, support services, marketing, technology, etc. We offer Quarterly events ranging from professional development to social activities. Our goals are to promote internal networking, communication and support to help advance our own personal growth and careers.
“Understanding Communication Styles” lunchtime session with Patti Carey
Where did the idea for Women in Design come from?
I attended an event hosted by Hirschler Fleischer’s Women’s Initiative Network in October 2016 and was inspired by it. This led me to finalize the Timmons Group Women in Design Program with Shannon Hayes and Lu Gay Lanier and we launched the program in 2017.
Describe some of the courses that have been held so far.
We’ve had two lunchtime sessions: “Understanding Communication Styles,” led by Patti Carey and, “How to Network Like an Introvert,” led by our own Director of Marketing, Tim Klabunde, CPSM. We also held a social event which was a Terrarium Workshop led by Scott and Kristen Wiley. Scott Wiley, PLA, CA leads our Landscape Architecture group and his wife Kristen is a florist. For our last event of 2017, we featured a panel discussion on Work Life Balance with panelists all from Timmons Group.
“Network Like an Introvert” lunchtime session with Tim Klabunde, CPSM
“Work Life Balance” Panel Discussion
How do you come up with topic ideas for WID?
Most of the event topics have come from feedback received from participants. I wanted to have one of the events focused on networking since is not a skill taught in college, but is very valuable in our industry. The Terrarium Workshop was inspired by a Plant Nite event I attended and wanted to tie it to one of the services we offer.
Terrarium Workshop
What excites you about the future of WID and how do you hope to see it grow in the next year?
I am excited about the number of younger women working at Timmons Group and joining this industry. Almost half of the women working at Timmons Group are under the age of 35 so I am hopeful about more women deciding to choose career paths in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). In January, a group of the younger women will be attending Richmond’s Chamber RVA HYPE: Helping Young Professional Engage event on career development.
In the future, as more women join our branch offices, I’d like to see additional events or hands-on workshops hosted by them. We involve our branch offices via Skype for Business during the lunch time seminars, but it’s a challenge to plan a hands-on workshop that reaches everyone, so that would be something I’d like to see happen in the future.
