Women’s Summit

In an effort to connect more local women, and men, together, some of the area’s women networking groups have joined forces to host the first Cape Fear Women’s Summit.

The event, Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at nCino, is an opportunity for those in any role and career level to meet.

The idea for the event was born when Trista Banfield, technical production manager with Morvil Advertising + Design Group and board member at Cape Fear Women in Tech, and other women saw the need for a networking event for all local professional women.

Banfield met with Jhansi Kandasamy, VP of engineering services nuclear at GE Hitachi and Denise Teets, senior services project manager at GE Hitachi and current chair of the local U.S. Women In Nuclear group.

“Teets had several connections to other professional women’s organizations and from there, we both reached out to as many women’s groups in our area that we could find,” Banfield says. “As it turns out, there was a lot of interest and so we got to work.”

Organizers are expecting more than 150 attendees.

Besides connecting professionals, the summit seeks to highlight resources and groups that women can use for support and guidance.

“We are hoping to foster more interaction amongst the various women’s groups in our region and gain more visibility for all of our organizations so that the women of the Cape Fear region are aware of the resources and organizations available,” Banfield says.

The event, which organizers plan on hosting annually, can act as a catalyst for future collaboration and interaction amongst the various groups, she says.

“There is strength in numbers and all of our organizations are after supporting and empowering women to excel in whatever their passion. This event is for all women, not just STEM-related fields,” Banfield says. “And if you happen to be interested in learning more about STEM professions, even better.”

The inaugural event comes at a time when there is still more progress needed for women in technology and other professional fields.

“Wilmington is fortunate to have so many talented women in a higher concentration than most cities our size, however, we still have a long way to go in order to close the current gender gap in male-dominated fields,” Banfield says. “We are hoping this will be a catalyst for future collaboration and interaction amongst the various groups. There is strength in numbers and all of our organizations are after supporting and empowering women to excel in whatever their passion.”