N.C.’s First Licensed Woman Engineer to be Honored at Chix Dig It Luncheon
Patricia Lucas Smith is all about encouraging women to think of the construction industry when considering career options. Smith owned and operated a paint contracting business for more than 15 years before founding Raleigh-based Serving 4 Success, an organization that focuses on growing sustainable opportunities in local communities. Two years ago, Smith started Chix Dig It — Celebrating Women in Construction, a non-profit program dedicated to attracting the best and brightest women to the architectural, design and construction field.
Now in its third year, the program’s annual fundraiser – the Chix Dig It — Celebrating Women in Construction luncheon – provides scholarships to young women who are pursuing a career in AEC. Themed “The Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of Women in Engineering,” this year’s luncheon is scheduled for Thursday, June 21 at The Renaissance Raleigh-North Hills Hotel in Raleigh. This date was selected to coincide with International Women in Engineering Day.
In keeping with the Women in Engineering theme, the 2018 Chix Dig It luncheon will welcome a very special guest, Mrs. Emily Brown Blount — the very first woman engineer licensed in the State of North Carolina. Mrs. Blount, who is now 88 years old, earned her degree from NC State University in transportation civil engineering in 1953 and was the first North Carolina woman registered as a Professional Engineer. She had a distinguished 40-year career at the NC DOT, most of it in traffic engineering.
Civil engineering student Emily Brown with surveying equipment (1951).
The event will begin at 11 a.m. with networking at the Walk of Fame, followed by lunch, and a panel discussion featuring key women in engineering.
Proceeds from the 2018 Chix Dig It luncheon will provide educational assistance to young women who want to pursue a career in engineering. To date, Chix Dig It has been able to raise and distribute over $15,000 to institutions of higher learning in North Carolina, and Smith hopes for continued support from the local AEC community.
“Role models serve a great purpose to women in construction. If you are a female in this industry, please consider partnering with us in some way – as a luncheon sponsor, a mentor, or a volunteer in some other way,” said Smith.
To learn more about Chix Dig It, visit www.serving4success.org. For sponsorship opportunities, or related information, please contact Patricia Lucas Smith at psmith@serving4success.org or 919.669.1208.
Photo courtesy of Special Collections Research Center: Item 0008236 | Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
