Ever wished there was a "women in planning" organization in your community or region? Women planners and planning students in Oregon have been creating just that.

Our organization came about after two years of successful informal meetings. During the academic year, planning students at the University of Oregon had been hosting gatherings to discuss the profession with women planners in the Eugene, Oregon area. Typically, our potluck dinners featured a speaker who discussed her professional experiences or research. These assemblies provided an opportunity for women to share their insights and provided much-needed mentoring to the graduate students.

Then, in 1997, graduate students and faculty from the University of Oregon sponsored a session on "Women and Planning" at the 1997 Oregon Planners Institute (OPI) Conference. Responses to a short survey conducted at the session provided some direction as to what attendees thought were important issues.

High on the list were employment discrimination, gender-based pay discrimination, and discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Other significant issues included work-place flexibility, management challenges, career advancement and "the glass ceiling." Attendees cited a lack of mentorship as one of the most prevalent problems.

As a graduate student who attended both the potluck dinners and the OPI session, I believed there was enough interest to pursue the creation of a more permanent group. To determine the level of interest in a "women in planning" group, I organized an informal breakfast at the Oregon Statewide APA conference held in Seaside, Oregon last February. The response was overwhelmingly positive, so I continued to organize meetings of Women in Planning (WIP) with the hope of bringing other women planners together to contribute to this effort.

At the WIP meeting in Seaside, our first task was to clarify a statement of purpose. WIP was defined as an inclusive group that encouraged the involvement of all planners, regardless of gender. Participants, however, will need to recognize that this group was formed to discuss women and their planning-related issues and concerns. We decided that the need to have a networking and "mentoring" focus to the group was most important.

The group suggested that the profession would benefit from having a network of people who could answer questions and provide an opportunity for others to learn more about the profession. The need for the men-torship role is vital; planners work in such varied fields that the men-toring of graduate students and younger professionals furnishes an important educational experience.

Recent meetings helped us define and refine our organizational goals and tasks. Our current organizational tasks are to (1) increase membership by outreach in professional newsletters and by word of mouth; (2) establish a mailing list and database of interested people; and (3) begin reviewing sources for funding. These tasks will help us reach our goal of forming a communication and outreach system and a means to solidify a membership base.

Planned events include: hosting an evening networking meeting at the 1998 OPI conference, and hosting a local planner to speak at a Fall 1998 meeting. Additional WIP activities will include outreach to high school and college groups and neighborhood and grassroots level organizations.

As one of the organizers of this group, I envision a great deal of potential for this organization. I have already spoken to similar Portland, Oregon organizations (WOW Women on Water) and to other individuals. We've received positive feedback about how Women in Planning could network with other groups, function as a vital source of information, and foster discussion within our diverse profession. We hope that Women in Planning will continue as a fun, yet productive, networking organization that will facilitate leadership development and provide a safe forum for venting frustrations and solving problems.

Robin Scholetzky Angelo Eaton & Associates Portland, Oregon rscholetzky@angeloeaton.com

Click on the image to visit Bobby's Home Page.