How Women Can Get Involved in Advocacy

Amber Reyna, Verde chief revenue officer, and Caryn Gilliam, PortionPac Chemical Corp. chief strategy officer, joined Stacy Seiden, ISSA senior government affairs manager, in the CleanMeet Zone on the tradeshow floor at ISSA Show North America 2024 on Nov. 19 to discuss women leading in advocacy.

Reyna and Gilliam want to bring the ISSA Hygieia Network in to the local/federal government level, and to help show other women how to start, where to go, and how to join. They also were part of ISSA’s Government Advocacy Committee that met in Washington, D.C. Reyna and Gilliam said that starting the advocacy process doesn’t have to be overwhelming and being a part of ISSA’s Advocacy group is an easy way to start.

Advocacy in the cleaning industry is about advocating for the industry, but also for women too, Seiden added.

“It is helpful to find somebody who can advocate for you,” Reyna said. “…Advocacy is action that leads to change, and so you need to find people that aren’t just saying good things about you when you’re not in the room, but [who] really push for advancement for the workforce and create programs that allow women to advance whether it’s an emerging leader program or something similar. Try and find somebody at your organization that is as passionate as you are about that and it’s not always women. It can be a man, too, who is really championing women and their advancement.”

Reyna added that women also need to be very confident in what they bring to their company.

“Just know that you have a unique skill set,” she explained. “Your perspective, your expertise, where you came from is so powerful. You don’t need to be like somebody else and have the same success story as somebody else. So be confident in what you bring to the table. It does not have to be as prestigious as what somebody else is bringing to the table because you have something to say and just open your mouth and say it because you’re awesome.”

Gilliam added that women should collaborate with other women and find a mentor. 

“Find a mentor so that they can bring you along and help you,” she explained. “I started in my company as a marketing manager, and now I’m an officer of the company and it was because I spoke up, because I was confident in the ideas that I had because I have these great relationships. We have Hygieia as part of ISSA. Women get together, we collaborate, and we talk because that’s how we cooperate that way. Take advantage of those opportunities because we’re helping lift each other up, and we can help you especially if you’re new in your career because this is an awesome industry. I’ve been here 20 years. I love it and just speak up.”