AATCC Announces New Interest Group: Rising Professionals

AATCC’s newest Interest Group is focused on the needs of new members. The new AATCC Rising Professionals Interest Group will concentrate on career development, networking, diversity, mentorship, leadership, and other similar aspects of a career in textiles. The Rising Professionals Interest Group desires to be the AATCC “home” for individuals new to the industry—whether recently-graduated students or professionals recently employed by a company in this industry—and new to AATCC. The Interest Group hopes to foster involvement, engagement, and leadership within AATCC and to benefit the industry. The “nickname” the Rising Professionals Interest Group will use is RISE—standing for:

• Reach (programs & events)
• Information (educational content, training materials)
• Services (member services)
• Empowerment (mentorship program)

The new Interest Group grew out of AATCC’s Young Professionals Committee—which has opened its membership to members of all ages, as long as they are interested in the aims and organizational pillars of the Interest Group. The pillars for the RISE Interest Group will be responsible for include:

• Education: Interest Group Discussion meetings, Textile Discovery Summit content
• Empowerment: mentorship program, diversity & inclusion, leadership development
• Member Services: (understanding AATCC as a valuable resource) including AATCC Committee Best Practices, training materials to function well in committees, other services and activities available to members
• Students/Academia: representation of students’ ideas, needs, and interests
• Professional/Industry: representation of professional ideas, needs, and interests

Current RISE officers are Interest Group Acting Chair, Tyler Pickett, and Acting At Large member R. Bryan Ormond, North Carolina State University. (pictured below) Interest Group officers serve as AATCC Board of Directors members. AATCC members can nominate new Interest Group officers until March 31. Only AATCC members who are voting members of the Rising Professionals Interest Group may vote for the RISE officers who will be on the Board of Directors. For more information about the AATCC Board of Directors and their duties, visit https://aatcc.org/bod/ If you are new to the textile industry and want to get involved, network, or learn more about AATCC and the industry, join AATCC’s Rising professionals Interest Group! It is a great place to get started within AATCC. To learn more about all AATCC interest groups, visit https://aatcc.org/join/#ig. Not sure about joining an interest group yet but would like to join AATCC? Become a member of AATCC at https://aatcc.org/join/!

                  About AATCC: AATCC is the world’s leading not-for-profit association serving textile professionals since 1921. AATCC, headquartered in Research Triangle Park, NC, USA, provides test method development, quality control materials, and professional networking for members in about 50 countries throughout the world. Media Contact: Maria C. Thiry, AATCC Communications and Membership Director; +1.919.549.3548; [email protected]