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About NAWIC
The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) offers its members education, support, and networking to help advance their careers in construction, build their technical skills, and become leaders.
Our Purpose is to support women in the construction industry through professional development, business opportunity and community outreach and mentoring programs.
Whether you want to embark on a new career, establish a networking base, be a mentor/mentee, make a difference in your community, continue your education, or invest in great friendships—NAWIC offers a variety of opportunities—large and small.
All women working in construction are eligible for membership, including women builders in the trades, project management, marketing, administration, and executive leadership. Women in related industries who work on construction related business, such as finance, legal, and other complementary industries, are welcome as well.
Our members include some of the most accomplished women in our profession, many of whom credit NAWIC with helping them advance their careers and grow as individuals and as leaders.
Interested in joining NAWIC? You can learn more here.
The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) began as Women in Construction of Fort Worth, founded on September 11, 1953, by Doris Efird and 15 other women who were looking for a support system.
These women were all actively employed in the construction industry and had been doing business with each other for years when they decided to finally meet face to face. The founding members of Women in Construction of Fort Worth were Alice Ashley, Ida Mae Bagby, Carolyn Balcomb, Sue Bowling, Margaret Bubar, Margaret Cleveland, Era Dunn, Doris Efird, Ronda Farrell, Hazel Floyd, Jimmie Blazier, Nina Ruth Jenkins, Ethel McKinney, Irene Moates, Mildred Tarter and Edna Mae Tucker.
This progressive group of women had the foresight to create an atmosphere where they could network and support each other professionally as well as personally. This support system gave them the confidence to reach for and achieve their goals.
When describing this group of women, Alice Ashley said, “We were women with electricity in our veins, cement dust on our shoes, sawdust on our minds … busy, busy, busy, filthy things. ”
In the first year of its existence, Women in Construction raised over $2,700 to donate to the Foundation for Visually Handicapped Children. They wanted to branch out beyond Fort Worth in search of other women to join the organization, but they discovered the charter was not adequate and did not have the powers to organize other chapters. Women in Construction of Fort Worth amended their charter to incorporate other chapters in Texas and throughout the nation. In doing so, on May 17, 1955, they became The National Association of Women in Construction.
Advancements were made over the years with the inception of The NAWIC Image in 1969, the official publication detailing Association news. In honor of the founding members, The NAWIC Founders Scholarship Foundation (NFSF) was created in 1961 to award scholarships to students pursuing construction-related studies. The NAWIC Education Foundation (NEF), founded in 1972, developed programs to enrich the minds of children as well as adults.
As word of NAWIC spread, several foreign countries became interested in the cause to enhance the success of women in the construction industry. In 1996, NAWIC signed an International Affiliation Agreement with NAWIC-Australia. In 1998, NAWIC signed an International Affiliation Agreement with New Zealand and another in 1999 with South African Women in Construction (SAWiC). In September 2003, NAWIC signed an international affiliation agreement with the United Kingdom.