About WAN
The Women’s Aquatic Network, Inc.
The Women's Aquatic Network (WAN) brings together professionals with interests in marine, coastal and aquatic affairs and promotes the roles of women in these fields. Membership is open to all gender identities in the D.C. metro area. The Women’s Aquatic Network is a private, non-profit organization incorporated in 1985 in the District of Columbia. The WAN mission is to bring together professionals with interests in marine, coastal and aquatic policy, research, management, legislation, and other areas. WAN members are scientists, lawyers, policy-makers, natural resource managers and advocates, maritime transportation interests, entrepreneurs, academics, lobbyists, and many other professions. Members work in government, legislatures, private sector, academia, and non-governmental organizations.
The purpose of WAN is to:
Facilitate networking by providing opportunities for people with interests in marine and aquatic affairs in an atmosphere that encourages information exchange, career development, and fellowship.
Promote the role of women and those who identify as female in marine, coastal and aquatic affairs through information exchange and mentoring.
Identify individuals, groups, organizations, programs, and/or employment opportunities that could benefit members in their field(s) of interest and expertise; and provide a forum for discussion of topical issues in marine and aquatic affairs.
What Do We Do?
WAN organizes a number of interesting networking and educational events each year in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. WAN activities include casual social meets in local restaurants, receptions at interesting locations to showcase leaders of note including our annual holiday party, evening programs such as our speed mentoring event or other career-building presentations, and highlight speakers on current topics of interest.
WAN maintains an active and growing listserve to inform our membership of upcoming events and networking opportunities.
We try to host one event per month and always welcome ideas for the best ways to facilitate the exchange of information between our members and leaders in the field! Look through the list of great past events.
How Do I Join?
History
WAN was originally conceived in 1984 (and established in 1985) by three ambitious women who felt the need for a network of professionals in the marine and aquatic sector to help support and advance opportunities for women. In that decade, there were still far fewer women in leadership roles in the growing field. While professional networking wasn’t a new concept, it was clear that women with a mutual field of interest could benefit from targeted opportunities to meet periodically and share their experiences. The idea was to pave the way for professional advancement and integration between various Washington-DC based sectors that dealt with ocean and aquatic issues.
Since then, we can proudly say that the marine and aquatic sectors have benefited from many talented and professional women now engaged at every level, including the helm (how maritimy!) in numerous leadership roles across America. Thus, the purpose of WAN has evolved from a networking tool for women, to serve as a formal (and fun!) facilitation mechanism for professionals of all gender identities to network across shared interest areas.
We welcome the participation of young professionals. WAN is a great place to network, learn, find a mentor, or simply enjoy the social camaraderie!
