October 2015: Join me in serving JAWS

Why I love JAWS:

Friendships old and new.

Shared wisdom, formal and informal.

Support in a noncompetitive environment.

Costumes, karaoke and dancing!

We left CAMP (aka the Conference and Mentoring Program) rejuvenated.

We gained new journalism knowledge (so much I can’t even summarize it), serendipitous connections, memories of Glacier National Park and more to take home with us.

On the shuttle to the airport, JAWS member Sonya Green told me she periodically refreshes herself with her “bottle of JAWS” while working in her Seattle radio newsroom.

Whether you were at CAMP or couldn’t make it, I’d like to encourage you to open your “bottle of JAWS” throughout the next year — and share it with the other women journalists in your life.

The JAWS board wants to help you share the JAWS love.

Here’s how:

• Interested in attending or starting a regional JAWS group? Contact Megan Sweas, a new board member coordinating regional groups, at .
• Want to find other members in your area? Log in to the JAWS members-only website and go to the member directory. You can search by city, state, regional groups and more.
• Interested in a mini-JAWS closer to you? We hope to hold daylong Saturday training sessions next spring in at least three different locations. The recent members’ survey indicated the greatest interest for training in leadership, social media management and salary negotiating. If you’re interested in helping out on this, contact me: " data-cke-saved-href="http://sandrafish@comcast.net" class="external" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">t.
• Tell your women journo friends about JAWS and encourage them to join!

I’m honored to serve as the president of an organization that has done so much for me and my career. Be sure to save Oct. 28-30, 2016, for the Conference and Mentoring Project in Roanoke, Va. And I look forward to helping you keep the spirit of JAWS going all year round!

— Sandra Fish