APMP’s second annual Women’s Virtual Summit is August 4th! It’s your opportunity to learn about the most pressing, current, and emerging issues for professional women and how you can be an advocate and ally of women in business. 

We had an opportunity to sit down with Molly Cox, presenter and APMP National Capital Area (NCA) member, to talk about what they’re excited about, what to expect from their session and how APMP is helping them achieve their professional goals.

Thank you for joining us, Molly! What are you most excited about for women in the industry right now? 

From what I’ve seen and experienced, the work from home revolution has had an incredibly positive, equalizing impact on women in our industry. The ability to have a hybrid or fully remote work environment has enabled many women to come back to or stay in the workforce. It allows us to focus on our work winning new business for our companies, and to be recognized for the results we achieve. 

It has also opened up the possibilities to live and work anywhere in the country, so you don’t have to live in the DMV to work in the Federal contracting business development/proposal industry. Personally, I am very grateful to be able to do the work I love for a variety of wonderful clients while also spending more time with my family in different states.

What do you want people to take away from your session?

My goal is to start an ongoing conversation that the attendees can continue afterwards with their coworkers and friends. I’m really looking forward to hearing from my colleagues in the industry about their experiences. I’m interested in exploring this topic because there is a growing number of women who are childfree (for a variety of reasons, by choice or not), and the unique professional challenges and opportunities we face need to be discussed more. Most of the content I read about working women is centered on being a working mom, which, while critically important, doesn’t relate to all of us.

Also, at work (as in society more broadly), childfree women and women with children are sometimes pitted against each other. When you look at the history of how childfree women are portrayed and talked about, it’s usually not great. Even dear old Teddy Roosevelt said of childfree women- “The existence of women of this type forms one of the most unpleasant and unwholesome features of modern life.” Yikes! And we’re still hearing this sentiment today in the backlash against women who are continuing to assert our independence and fulfill our desires beyond motherhood. 

I hope this conversation gets the attendees thinking about ways all women can all work together to support each other and build solidarity to ensure that our employers provide the respect, consideration, and benefits we all need to thrive. 

How do APMP and NCA help you achieve your goals?

The educational content from APMP has been a key part of my development as a proposal professional. Being part of the NCA chapter has allowed me to connect with others in our industry when I hardly knew anyone. The Mid-Atlantic Conference NCA puts on is a fabulous networking and learning event, and I’d recommend everyone in the proposal industry here in the DMV attend. I’ll also say that everyone I have met through APMP has been genuinely kind, approachable, and interested in lifting up others.

Thank you, Molly! We’re looking forward to your session, Worker Solidarity and Being a Childfree Woman. Connect with Molly on LinkedIn. 

The Summit is a one-day worldwide online event that will occur in time blocks that span all time zones. The sessions will be available on-demand for 90 days after the event through the event app. Register now!