‘Moving On … Moving Up’ women’s awards luncheon honors, educates Published Sept. 3, 2010 By Kimberly L. Wright Air University Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Keynote speaker Janice Patrick, the career services director at Troy University and retired Air Force chief master sergeant, provided a bevy of facts and figures to illustrate economic power and workplace dynamics as part of the Maxwell-Gunter Federal Women's Month annual awards luncheon Aug. 27. Supported by data from several sources, Ms. Patrick demonstrated that women's spending, earning and hiring power creates a tremendous impact on the economic landscape. Women contribute half or more of a household's income in most households, buy the majority of products and services, and own 9.1 million businesses. However, society and women themselves have more work to do to shatter the glass ceiling that often still serves as an invisible barrier to women seeking to gain access to higher-echelon positions in business. Despite the progress made in the empowerment of women, women are currently "disproportionately clustered" in the lower rungs of management and lower-paying jobs, Ms. Patrick said. "It looks like women in the workplace and marketplace are a huge, untapped goldmine," she noted. Businesses should better appreciate gender differences and mentor women. "Without access to mentoring, too many qualified people are stopped short," she said, noting businesses that fail to attract and keep women "lose an extraordinary amount of talent, creativity and productivity." Ms. Patrick encouraged women in business to improve their credibility "by taking on higher-visibility assignments" and doing a better job networking and promoting themselves and believing in their leadership ability. Women in business must decide whether to be a "thermometer or a thermostat" as only one has control, she said. The luncheon served to honor award winners in five categories. Supervisors sent in nomination packets for potential award winners from throughout the Maxwell-Gunter community, which were judged by the Federal Women's Program awards committee. Both men and women were eligible for the awards. 42nd Air Base Wing vice commander Col. Chris Sharpe commended all of the award nominees, saying, "You are all winners. ... Someone believed in you enough to put together a nomination package to recognize your commitment and dedication."