One of the key roles of the Chancellor's Office is to support the 23 CSUs. Toward that end, Women in Facilities was created, largely with the help of women leaders in the CO's Capital Planning, Design and Construction (CPDC) department, to provide career and networking opportunities to women in facilities university-wide.
The program formed after Jennifer Sorenson, senior associate vice president, Facilities Planning & Management at CSU San Bernardino, “gave a TED talk about being one of the few women in facilities management," said Amy Forte, director of administration, CPDC. “We received so much feedback, we felt it was important to follow through and [we] started this program."
Forte, Sorenson, Vi San Juan, assistant vice chancellor, CPDC, and Winnie Kwofie, associate vice president, Facilities Development and Operations, at East Bay put their heads together last year to develop the program.
'A Leadership Disparity'
Women
make up only 27 percent of the CSU’s 372 facilities managers. Of the 101 women,
six are associate vice presidents of facilities and three are directors of
facilities operation, Forte said. (Facilities includes campus planning, energy and sustainability, construction projects, facilities administration projects and facilities operations such as custodial services and grounds, she said.)
There's a “shortage of women [leaders] based on numbers on our campuses," San Juan said during a recent virtual Women in Facilities open house that attracted 50 women.
In addition to addressing “a leadership disparity," Women in Facilities strives to “effectively serve our students, provide opportunity and to acknowledge the talent among us," San Juan said. Increasing the number of women leaders in facilities demonstrates to students “there are a lot of opportunities in the CSU." San Juan noted that she herself started at the CSU as a student assistant at San José State.
Second Cohort Planned
Shortly after Women in Facilities began, it held its first cohort. It included 12 women, each from a different CSU. A second cohort is scheduled to begin in early 2023. Women from across the CSU have self-nominated themselves for the cohort, Forte said. A mix of virtual and in-person sessions will include foundational facilities and customer service sessions, but the emphasis will be on leadership for women in a male-dominated sector, she said.
The program's three main goals are:
- Create sessions of learning and interaction to expose women to the structures and systems in the facilities organizations, and invite campus customers and key stakeholders to share their experiences and expectations of facilities leaders.
- Provide an open dialogue on the experience of women working in male-dominated environments and provide tools for women to navigate the facilities management landscape.
- Provide skill-building and career planning sessions and regular Zoom meetups.
Employees interested in learning more can email Forte.