The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) recently announced the creation of its Women in Landscape Network to establish a community within the landscape and lawn care industry for female professionals and those committed to issues impacting women in the field.
With the creation of the Women in Landscape Network, NALP will connect, empower, and advocate for women in the landscape industry; recruit and retain female professionals; and amplify the voices of women leaders.
“We are excited about the formation of this new group that was born under the auspices of NALP’s Industry Growth Initiative (IGI),” says Jenn Myers, director of workforce development for NALP. “IGI was initially focused on recruiting people to the industry but has expanded its scope to solve issues associated with retaining key contributors. As an association, we are proud to be standing alongside other traditionally male-dominated industries and hosting important dialogues to address the challenges faced by women in the industry head on.”
This initiative is led by a team of women and men passionate about female representation and advancement in the landscape and lawn care industry. The governing advisory board of the network includes:
- Brigitte Orrick, Director of Recruiting & Employee Development, The Davey Tree Expert Company
- Caitlin Clineff, Recruiting Specialist & Company Ambassador, Myatt Landscaping
- H. Jaclyn Ishimaru-Gachina, President, Gachina Landscape Management
- Jen Lemcke, Chief Operating Officer, Turf Holdings, Inc. / TH Canada Inc. / Weed Man
- Lisa Fiore, Founder & CEO, LandscapeHub
The Women in Landscape Network began its work at SiteOne’s Women in the Green Industry Conference in Tucson, Ariz. earlier this month and will use take-aways from the forum to begin identifying the platform for specific activities to be undertaken by the group.
During sessions on Oct. 15 and 16, at LANDSCAPES, the dialogue will continue with a networking event designed to connect female professionals and a business meeting to address actionable workplans for the newly formed community.