Commercial Integrator March 2023 - 20

EMPOWERMENT: MAKING WAVES
just one organization's job; rather, it is a collective
responsibility. " For me, it's all about
partnerships, and I believe WAVIT has the
right thought process for this, " she adds.
Creating A Safe Harbor
As we can see, WAVIT is working toward
bringing about equality for women in
many different ways. However, one of the
most important missions of the organization
is to create safe spaces for women
and other underrepresented communities.
" In the past, we've collectively
realized that it's vitally important that we
have the safe space because, so often, we
are not safe physically, mentally and even
emotionally, " Alvarado-Miranda emphasizes.
Acknowledging that workplaces
can be toxic environments, she adds,
" This becomes a huge barrier to getting
ourselves ahead and taking the next steps
to advance our careers. "
Alvarado-Miranda then reflects on her
interactions with other women who felt
lost in these situations. " I was hearing
them say that they don't feel comfortable
speaking out, " she reveals. " They feel like
they are not heard or don't have a voice.
Some don't even get to sit at the corporate
boardroom table or know if they will
ever get there. " With the " Turning Tides "
community, Alvarado-Miranda aspires to
create a network of safety where women
can speak up. " We want [women] to say
it; own it; embrace, learn, thrive and grow
[here], " she enthuses.
Following a similar train of thought,
Ricketts explains, " For me, a safe space is
being able to demonstrate what we can
do, especially for those who do not feel
as confident. " She cites the example of a
female monitor engineer who stood her
ground in a grueling environment. " When
she was on tour, most other engineers
would look past her and ask, 'Where's the
monitor engineer?' " Ricketts recalls. " She
would look straight at them and reply, 'I
am the monitor engineer and welcome
to my stage.' " That woman's confidence,
Ricketts believes, inspired all the younger
women around her to have the same
self-confidence. Accordingly, she wishes
to do the same with WAVIT. " I'm so excited
to show what we can do and what our
20
'We have so few
women in this vivid,
cool industry, and I just
want to see us grow
in number.'
- Brandy AlvaradoMiranda,
BAM!
Marketing Agency
stamp [in this industry]. " She continues, " I
want to help those who have come after
me and get them to where I am, and beyond. "
Of course, Ricketts acknowledges
that is no easy feat. She explains, " When
we talk about being inclusive, many people
assume it is exclusion. But, no, there is
enough for all to sit at the table. [Inclusivity]
is about learning how to support each
other and try to make the changes that
we want to see. " While there is plenty of
work to be done, Ricketts is confident in
her own capabilities, as well as those of
WAVIT. " When I leave, I want to make sure
that women are closer to securing a seat at
the table, " she underlines.
For Alvarado-Miranda, it comes down
to building momentum in the industry for
all women. " I'm a connector, " she states.
" And, so, for me, it's about helping others
to connect and gain more of a foothold
in this industry. " More than that, Alvarado-Miranda
aims to help grow women's
numbers in the AV/IT world to be a bigger
fraction than what they currently are. " We
have so few women in this vivid, cool
industry, and I just want to see us grow in
number, " she adds.
This number not only applies to the
potential is within the safe space, " Ricketts
adds optimistically.
Tying it all together, Dutta adds that the
safe space within WAVIT is for everyone,
regardless of gender, sexuality, race, etc.
" What is important to us is that we all work
together to create the waves of equality in
the AV and IT industries, " she urges.
A Personal Anchor
All three interviewees emphasize that
WAVIT is an extremely personal investment
for them. As Ricketts poignantly puts it,
" Being closer to retirement now, I feel like
time is upon me to add value and make a
Commercial Integrator MARCH 2023
demographics, but also to the pay
disparities. As Dutta notes, " On average,
women earn 83 cents for every dollar that
men earn. " She reveals that March 14 of
this year will be Equal Pay Day, according
to the National Committee on Pay Equity.
" However, Black Women's Equal Pay
Day typically lands in September, and
November for Native Women's Equal Pay
Day, " Dutta states. " I want to do my part to
create equity and equality for all women. "
Expressing her gratitude for being part of
the WAVIT board, she adds, " I hope that
our members feel comfortable discussing
intersectional feminism and how we can
help all women. "
WAVIT is the ship that will carry waves of
equality in the AV and IT industries. More
importantly, it is a ship emerging from the
minds of extremely successful women,
who will carry over their success to future
generations. As AtlasIED's Gina Sansivero,
a WAVIT board member, once said, " We
needed a strong headwind, and we chose
to be our own. " CI
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Commercial Integrator March 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator March 2023

Commercial Integrator March 2023 - Cover1
Commercial Integrator March 2023 - Cover2
Commercial Integrator March 2023 - 1
Commercial Integrator March 2023 - 2
Commercial Integrator March 2023 - 3
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