Senator Tom Udall Hosts Women's Success Career Conference 2013

Career Conference 2012, Hosted by Senator Tom Udall

First of all, let me just say, WOW!  Any woman who wants to start or grow her own business can receive an amazing amount of support through all of the organizations located in the Hispano Chamber of Commerce, in Albuquerque, NM. As it turns out, one of those women is me.  That's why I signed up for and attended a women's conference on the subject.

The information presented during Women's Career Success Conference & Job Fair 2013, Hosted by Senator Tom Udall and the Hispano Chamber of Commerce was PHENOMENAL!  The conference's welcoming remarks were given by:  Bianca Ortiz Wertheim, State Director, Office of Senator Tom Udall; Alex Romero, President, Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce; and, Tom Udall, U. S. Senator, via video.

Our keynote speaker, Erin Andrew, Assistant Administrator for Women's Business Ownership, U. S. Small Business Administration, gave us insights on what it takes to be a successful small business owner.  There were many points made, but the one stood out most clearly  for me is Mentorship.  Ms. Andrew started out with a quote from Madeline Albright, "There is a special place in Hell for women who don't help other women."  It was a great way to start.  All the attendees were women looking for help. And, the majority of presenters were women who were there TO help.

The help began to roll out with our first panel speaker, Monica Armenta - former newscaster at KOB TV, in Albuquerque; current Public Information Officer of the Albuquerque Public Schools.  Ms. Armenta talked about her first mentors, her parents. She talked about her own mentoring of women.  Besides the amazing generosity displayed by Ms. Armenta, what was remarkable about her portion of the presentation was the way she talked to us.  She was intimate, she was vulnerable, she was evocative, she was unafraid of what was real.  It made many of us cry.

Mrs. Armenta set the tone and the rest of the speakers followed.  Dr. Alexis Artery, Senior Director of Manufacutring Operations, at Eclipse Aerospace started with tears in her eyes over Ms. Armenta's talk and went on to tell us what it was like being a Ph.D. from MIT in a world of work where only four out of 150 engineers are women.  Tina Cordova, President of Queston Construction told us about finding opportunity and seizing it.  Katherine Garza, Director at the Aveda Institute in Albuquerque, NM, talked about keeping a dream alive through physical abuse, substance abuse, and poverty. Four amazing women in New Mexico, lent themselves to us that day and gave me courage, knowledge, perseverance, adaptability, truth, and justice.

I spent the lunch time networking with conference attendees.  An idea was born for me there, I could help women in my community to focus not on getting a job - but, creating small businesses.  I've always been interested in micro-businesses.  I think they're the cornerstone of New Mexican economy.  It is the perfect time to engage women in my community on this subject! With the support of the organizations represented at the conference - Small Business Administration (SBA), Small Business Development Center (SBDC), WESST Enterprise Center, SBDC's Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) - we can succeed.

Our afternoon was rounded out with talks from the South Valley Economic Development Center (SVEDC), and two of their clients, one of whom had gone from micro to small business by baking traditional bizcochitos.  The other, Valerie Clark, who owns What the Fudge?  Valerie is from Española, is a chocolatier by trade, and runs a business aimed at providing a product to be used for fundraising in schools and by community organizations.

I loved hearing these women's stories!  It was said over and over again - don't worry about the money, just start your business.  And, through help from the multitude of helpful organizations, a woman can . . .

On a personal note:  I have made an appointment to begin working with WESST, I plan on applying for a Value Added Grant through the USDA, and I hope to develop a relationship with What the Fudge? to assist in our fundraising for our current project that includes re-developing a system of barter in nothern New Mexico via a Time Bank, Mentoring Program and Traditions Classes all planned to reaffirm New Mexican culture.  You'll hear more about this in the coming days through my blog posts.

For those of you thinking - this was in Albuquerque, what about Santa Fe or Española - the answer is yes!  In speaking with the State Director of Senator Udall's office, Bianca Ortiz Wertheim, I learned that the Senator would be interested in hosting the same type of training for our area next year.  How exciting is that?

A great big ¡THANK YOU/GRACIAS! to Senator Tom Udall, Bianca Ortiz Wertheim, and all of the staff; Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce; all of the organizations and presenters; and, to those women brave enough to create a new beginning in local economic development through entrepreneurship!  ¡Que Viva las Mujeres!