Women’s History Month Symposium at BCCC | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    WASHINGTON, NC      Beaufort County Community College will celebrate Women's History Month by hosting a panel of speakers on March 29 at 12:00 p.m. in Building 9 to inspire women in college to break into non-traditional career fields. BCCC sociology instructor Ashleigh Howard will be facilitating a discussion with Darlene Moore, Katie Phelps and Debra Daniels-Smith, all professional women in the construction, banking and paper industries, respectively. Howard and Moore began their educations at community colleges.

    Due to stigmatization of women's work, traditionally female careers tend to pay lower wages and come with less benefits. Women can often earn 20-30 percent more by entering a non-traditional career field and access benefits such as sick leave, retirement and paid vacation. Barriers to women obtaining jobs in these fields include educational issues, social and cultural issues and barriers on the job.

    Women may forgo a non-traditional career due to lack of support from family, friends or classmates. There is a lack of female role models in some fields, and women may not have the self-confidence to break into a new field. When it comes to education, women are sometimes directed into traditional classes, restricted by lack of childcare or transportation options and may lack the prerequisites necessary for a program. On the job, women may face sexual harassment, discrimination in promotion or expectations, and isolation.


    While men face similar barriers to entering non-traditional careers, they generally stand to make less by entering such fields, creating a disincentive for them to do so.

    Darlene Moore started with WIMCO in 1977 as an accounts payable clerk. Within a year, she was also in charge of payroll. Moore now serves as executive vice president of WIMCO. She has led WIMCO in building a reputation as an industry leader through its aggressive use of technology.

    Katie Phelps started her banking career in 1997 with Triangle Bank. In 2012, she joined Wells Fargo and currently serves as the Washington market president; covering both Beaufort and Pitt Counties.

    Debra Daniels-Smith began employment at Procter and Gamble (P&G) in 1976 as a line technician. After working various assignments in the organization, she was promoted into management in 1986. Daniels-Smith was the first African-American woman promoted into management at the Greenville plant. In 2011, Domtar purchased the Attends brand and Daniels-Smith assumed the role as Director of Organizational Development until she retired in 2013. She became an ordained Baptist preacher in 1999 and serves as an associate minister at Phillippi Missionary Baptist Church in Simpson.

    March is National Women's History Month. The National Women's History Project helps put on events to honor trailblazing women in labor and business. The symposium was organized by BCCC's TRIO Student Support Services in order to inspire women and men to break down the barriers that keep women from entering non-traditional careers.

• Contact: Sandra Hunter
•     252-940- 6487