Dear Careers Community,
As you've heard by now, the AOM annual meeting will be virtual again. As disappointing as this news is, it is probably better than prolonged uncertainty, and certainly better than switching gears mid-way as we had to do last year.
The good news is that we learned a lot from our experience last August, and we're probably all more savvy about virtual conferencing than we were back in August (it seems like so long ago…). We're still unsure about specific things AOM has in store for the annual meeting, but they have been collecting our feedback and are working hard to deliver the best conference experience possible.
To supplement AOM's efforts, we in the Careers Division are also thinking of ways to connect outside of the annual meeting. You may remember from the Division's Business Meeting last August that one of our strategic goals was to add value to your membership beyond the annual meeting. Your elected representatives have already been working on ways to do this, and we'll be updating you about new content and new opportunities to connect with each other throughout the year.
One thing Holly Ferraro and I have been thinking about is a virtual coffee hour for people interested in the intersections of careers and diversity research. Issues of race, especially, have been very salient in the US this year, and increased availability of data have made gender and race more possible to study in careers research. Right now, we're gauging interest. If you'd like to try coalescing a community around a common interest in Careers and Diversity, please sign up here:
I'm interested in a Careers and Diversity Coffee Hour
Keep an eye on these AOM Connect announcements for more opportunities to connect!
We all miss seeing each other in person. Someday, we'll meet again in person and we'll make sure to have the best social event, ever! In the meantime, I wish you the best for staying healthy and productive.
-Gina
p.s. Volunteers are always welcome. Volunteering for one of our committees is a great way to learn about AOM and the Careers Division, and to influence what we do. In fact, it's how I started with the Division. Contact me (gdokko@ucdavis.edu) or our Membership Chair, Marijke Verbruggen (Marijke.Verbruggen@kuleuven.be) if you're interested.
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Gina Dokko
UC Davis
Davis CA
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