Outdoor Industries Womens Coalition (OIWC) has announced its Education Series schedule for 2013, which will primarily focus on mentoring. Hosted at REI stores around the country and sponsored for a second year by adidas Outdoor and W.L. Gore, the Education Series is OIWCs premier educational program.


OIWC recognizes mentoring as a key component to helping reach our mission of respect, inclusion and gender equity at all levels in the workplace, said Amy Luther, program director for OIWC. Mentoring is a proven way to professionally develop and retain women, to increase personal networks, and to help with career advancement. Throughout 2013, we will provide events and resources focused on the importance of mentoring, the types of mentoring, how to be a mentor and how to be a mentee.


OIWC will host its first round of regional events on the topic of ‘How and Why to Build Your Personal Board of Directors. Events will be held at REI stores in the Bay Area (San Carlos), Calif., Boulder, Colo., and Salt Lake City on March 7, 2013, and in Seattle on March 13, 2013. Additional Education Series events will be held in October.


At each event, members will learn from an expert or experts, either one speaker or a panel, who will discuss a specific aspect of mentoring. Each event also will include time for networking, so OIWC members are able to connect with other members their region.


We could not provide cutting edge programming that benefits the entire Outdoor, Snow, and Bike Industries without the continued and strong support of adidas Outdoor, W.L. Gore, and REI, added Luther.


To learn more about OIWC, or to attend an upcoming event, please visit http://www.oiwc.org.


About OIWC

Founded in 1994, the Outdoor Industries Womens Coalition is the only national organization dedicated to workplace equity, diversity, and inclusion by expanding opportunities for women and companies in the Outdoor, Snow, and Bike Industries. OIWC provides professional development, education, and leadership programming that promotes women’s advancement. For over 90 industry partners, OIWC is the trusted resource for best practices and industry models around gender equity, respect, and inclusion.