Mentor support critical element to success
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Mentorship is key to helping women thrive in a workplace safety industry that still has far too few female leaders, experts say.
“Women (in safety) have to stand up, they have to be strong, and if they’re not strong, they need to get a network of people around them to get that strength,” said Connie Muncy, a corporate safety manager for construction engineering firm NAES Corp. who attributes much of her career trajectory to the positive influence of a former female supervisor who was also a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel.
“I learned so much from her … and I emulate her a lot of the time,” she said. Her mentor’s influence led her to begin mentoring other women in the field.
Rebecca Severson, vice president and corporate safety director for Providence, Rhode Island-based Gilbane Building Co., said a number of mentors, both in safety and in her pre-safety military career, provided support and helped her accomplish her goals.
“I learned pretty early on to get involved in organizations and to expand my network and rely on them for mentorship,” she said.
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