The National Association of Career Women (NACW) started in 1979 with a group of women in Lansing, MI. The founding members of the group would meet once a month for lunch to discuss professional opportunities open to them and their female peers. The Port Huron chapter joined in 1985, and the group is active and looking for new members.
The NACW is dedicated to creating a welcoming, supportive, engaging, and empowering environment for women to develop both personally and professionally. Membership is $150 for new members and $100 each year for a renewal. The group normally meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month for lunch and a speaker at the Culinary Institute of Michigan, but during this season, they have been meeting virtually over Zoom.
Samantha Cuppen, President of the Port Huron Chapter of NACW, said, “For me, its a low pressure situation to get involved in a group. Everybody is busy, but this is a good group of super-friendly people to get involved with. You can have lunch, learn something new, and just enjoy yourself.”
The group doesn’t fundraise, and it focuses on socialization and education for its members. Meeting topics are chosen based on relevancy to current events and have included human trafficking and stress management.
Each year, the local and National chapters select a Woman of the Year from their membership. An award is presented at their Annual Meetings to the woman whose conduct exemplifies the highest standards personally and professional while active in a full time career. This year’s winner for both the Port Huron Chapter and the National Chapter was Cathy Martinek, from WGRT.
To learn more about the Port Huron Chapter of the NACW, visit their website <HERE>.
Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand