Christee Holbrook, Jennifer Keegan, Christine Mockenhaupt, Anna Anderson & Michelle Boykin - 2024 NWiR Days – Meet the Ladies Behind the Scenes - PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Jennifer Keegan, Anna Anderson, Michelle Boykin, Christine Mockenhaupt and Christee Holbrook from the National Women in Roofing. You can Read the interview below or Listen to the podcast.

Intro: Welcome to Roofing Road Trips with Heidi. Explore the roofing industry through the eyes of a long-term professional within the trade. Listen for insights, interviews and exciting news in the roofing industry today.

Megan Ellsworth: Hello everyone. My name is Megan Ellsworth here at rooferscoffeeshop.com on another Roofing Road Trip. And I'm so excited because I'm tripping to see some of my favorite ladies in the roofing industry, the women of the Executive Council Committee of National Women in Roofing. Hi ladies. Hello. I'm so excited to be chatting with all of you. Thanks for being on Roofing Road Trips.

Jennifer Keegan: We're excited to be here from Nashville.

Megan Ellsworth: Yay. Zooming in. Yes, zooming in from Nashville. Let's go around and have each of you just introduce yourself and your company and your role on the executive committee.

Jennifer Keegan: Okay. I'm Jennifer Keegan, mostly called Keegan around National Women in Roofing. I am the chair this year. I am the Senior Director of Building and Roofing Sciences at GAS, and I live outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Anna Anderson: And I'm Anna Anderson, and I am the Vice Chair for National Women in Roofing and owner of an advertising agency called Art Unlimited. And I'm located in Minnesota, Northern Minnesota.

Michelle Boykin: I am Michelle Boykin. I am the past chair for National Women in Roofing. I am the Chief Operating Officer at Rackley Roofing here in Nashville.

Christine Mockenhaupt: I am Christine Mockenhaupt, the newest member of the executive committee, acting as Secretary. I work [inaudible 00:01:43] distribution out of New Jersey.

Christee Holbrook: I am Christee Holbrook. I am the treasurer for National Women in Roofing and own Graham Roofing in Moss Point, Mississippi.

Megan Ellsworth: Amazing. Well, I'm so excited to get to chat with you all, and let's dive right in. Where the heck is National Women in Roofing Day this year, and when is it happening?

Jennifer Keegan: National Women in Roofing Day is on February 4th and 5th in Las Vegas at the Convention Center.

Megan Ellsworth: Yay. I'm so excited for it. So what is the theme for this year's National Women in Roofing Day? And any of you can answer this.

Anna Anderson: Well, we're really excited. The theme this year is hitting it out of the park. And we recognize so many women are part of the industry, but through NWIR Day, our goal is to really help them hit it out of the park in the coming year, empower them and our supporting allies in the industry.

Megan Ellsworth: Awesome. And then we'll just do a little bit more on the National Women in Roofing Day details. Who is this year's keynote speaker?

Jennifer Keegan: So our keynote speaker this year is Dr. Kimberly Hardin, and she is focused on allyship, which is why we asked her to come here. The theme is hitting it out of the park, how women rise with allies and advocates. So we really wanted her to hit home the point of how we can all really advance in the industry collectively with leveraging allies and advocates.

Megan Ellsworth: Love that pun that you put in there. Oh, that's great. That's going to be such a great talk. And this is a really cool topic that you all are focusing on this year. I think it's something that a lot of people don't want to talk about because we want to, we rise by ourselves, but it is a community. We all have our own little tribe. And I think it's cool that that's this year's theme. What are some classes that y'all are excited to attend? Maybe each of you can list a class.

Anna Anderson: Well, I am incredibly excited about the Spanish track and how we have a full segment of classes that are dedicated to making sure that we have diversity for our audience. They can either go to the English classes or they can go to those Spanish classes. And then I know the other ladies are going to dive in a little deeper, but we also have the hands-on, which has always been a really hot ticket item, to be able to learn a little bit refresh of your skill or you can learn a whole new skill.

Jennifer Keegan: I'm going to jump in really quick because you bought up a really great point with the Spanish track, and I should have mentioned this when I was talking about our keynote. So we're so excited this year to have a live translation of the keynote speaker into Spanish through these headsets. So those who are there attending from different, who are focused, maybe their native language is in Spanish and it's easier for them to absorb all of that, it will be translated into Spanish. So we're so excited.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh my gosh, that is so cool that y'all are doing that. That's amazing.

Michelle Boykin: Yeah. I always love the hands-on. I think that's one of the favorites every year and it's just gotten bigger and bigger. But I would say the business development track that we have is really cool, super excited to learn about maximizing your customer experience and recruiting talent, those sorts of things that are always top of mind for a business leader.

Christine Mockenhaupt: I'm really looking forward to the leadership talks, the top talks, because there's a lot of conversation as women rise into leadership positions that they might be uncomfortable having and getting that in the open and giving them experience on how to handle those situations is really exciting.

Megan Ellsworth: Yes. Oh my gosh. That sounds really intriguing to me because there are a lot of hard conversations that, me as a young person in a leadership role, I'm constantly learning and trying to absorb as much information as I can on how to have uncomfortable conversations with people. So that's exciting. Christie, what are you looking forward to?

Christee Holbrook: Well, I too like the hands-on, but also excited about the career path, which is managing family and friends in the workplace, which I have a family owned business. So that's important to me. And elite women rising and thriving together.

Jennifer Keegan: So what I love about that track is that that whole track that day is panel discussion style. So you're going to get to hear from a couple different voices, a couple of different perspectives. So I'm pretty excited for that.

Megan Ellsworth: Cool.

Jennifer Keegan: And then, honestly Megan, there's so many amazing topics and we had so many, the feedback we've gotten in the past is folks are looking forward to finding more ways to connect with one another. And so we decided to expand these round table talks over lunch on topics that would really resonate with people. So you'll have opportunities to stay, you could sit with folks that are in your region and so there'll be color coded tables so you could sit down and just have a casual conversation, or if there's a conversation that really speaks to you, there'll be kind of focused conversations happening over lunchtime as well.

Anna Anderson: And the one thing about that, Keegan, if I could key off of that, is these topics are personal and professional development topics. And these are also, a lot of them are seasoned NWIR members, so they understand the pillars. And as we look at what's happening personally with you, what's happening professionally with you, one of the topics is personal finance. Another one is, what does that next path and chapter look like for you and your life? You've had a long great career in the roofing industry, where are you going next? So we have some really, I think, exciting topics for women, again, on that personal and professional development path track.

Megan Ellsworth: That's so exciting. What great topics that we're going to be focusing on this year. I think that's great. And it is always nice to have some sort of discussion over lunch so you're not just sitting there in awkward silence saying, "I don't know what to talk about now." That's always nice. So the next question, I'm really excited to hear what y'all have to say because I think you are all such wise women and have been doing this for so long and I know I look up to all of you, so what advice would you give to the person that's attending National Women in Roofing Day for the first time?

Christine Mockenhaupt: So what I recommend is going to talk to people that you don't know. You talk to people that you know all the time. Make a bunch of new connections. There's so many women in that room, and they might be not outgoing, and maybe just bringing them into the fold and introducing yourself. Ask them how they got in the roofing industry. That's an ice breaker. But as many connections as you can make, take this opportunity to harness that chance.

Jennifer Keegan: I'd say get involved. The power of being involved with an organization like this is the connections you make, and there's no better way to do that than to get involved. So there's opportunities to sign up to join our committees. There are all sorts of conversations to be had. And I really encourage you to get involved because that's how you're going to get the most value out of your membership.

Michelle Boykin: I would say get there early, because you don't want to miss out on all the great swag we have every year.

Megan Ellsworth: So true. I love the swag.

Anna Anderson: So my tip, this is Anna, would be, I think this is sometimes easy for some people and sometimes hard for others, is be real. What's the stuff that's happening in your world? What are the problems or challenges that you're facing? And there is so many talented women that come to this event. They have such rich depth within them. And they are there to not only learn, but also to share. And so as you bring that vulnerable component, you will walk away with such richer opportunities than you first came because you were invested and you were transparent and you made true connections. So I think that would be my key thing is, don't be siloed, but yet be vulnerable, be honest. And you will see a community rise up around you and say, "Hey, we've got this. We've walked that before. Here's how you do that estimate. Here's how you navigate that." Maybe a personally or a professional component within the industry. Together we can rise.

Christee Holbrook: Be the reinforcer, because I do think, come in with an open mind, talking to people you don't know, but also look for people maybe that are by themselves and bring them in. But sign up for a committee, get involved, get involved in the council.

Christine Mockenhaupt: Talking about signing up for committees, a lot of people say they don't have time. Whatever you can give makes you a part of this organization and adds value. Even if it's just coming up with an idea or something. Raise your hand. You can't do it wrong. We all want to help build this organization and every little bit helps.

Megan Ellsworth: Absolutely. Well said, everyone. So I know that National Women in Roofing has a scholarship for people to apply for to be able to have their trip to National Women in Roofing Day paid for and IRE. How many applications did you receive this year and when will the winners be announced?

Christine Mockenhaupt: So we extended the deadline, it just ended the 15th, and we're in the thirties of entries. So we will be announcing that later this month. But it's really exciting to be able to offer four scholarships.

Megan Ellsworth: Yay. I'm so excited to see who wins. I know some people that applied, so fingers crossed that my pals get it. And how can people register for National Women in Roofing Day? Where is that info?

Jennifer Keegan: It's at nationalwomeninroofing.org, and if you go under the about tab or the events tab, it shows National Women in Roofing Days. And so you click there and all the information is there for you to register.

Michelle Boykin: And the great thing is if you register through National Women in Roofing for this event and you want to stay for IRE, the IRE offers a free expo hall pass with a code once you register for National Women in Roofing Day. And if you want a super pass, they'll give you 10%.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh, that's so nice. That's amazing.

Jennifer Keegan: We have a really great partnership with NRCA and so we're really grateful for all they do to help us with National Women in Roofing Days.

Megan Ellsworth: That's great. Yeah, NRCA, we love you guys. Shout out. So, moving on, who are the nominees for the Rising Star and World Awards? Are you allowed to say?

Michelle Boykin: So the fun thing about the World Award and the Rising Star Award is, everything is blind. Nobody can see anything, so nobody in this room knows any names.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh, whoa. I had no idea, actually. That's really cool.

Christine Mockenhaupt: Everything is scrubbed, so even the people that are voting on it, everything is blind.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh, wow. So how do they, if I may ask, how does the judging process work then?

Christine Mockenhaupt: We have somebody that redacts all the information that could identify the nominees, so that way we give everybody as fair chance as possible.

Jennifer Keegan: And then they're rated on a couple different categories. So each member of the World Award and the Rising Star Committee will look at all these nominations that have been redacted with information of names and companies and such, and then we vote on the different categories, which are part of the application process, and then the numbers are tallied and that's how we determine who wins. So it's really completely a blind assessment.

Megan Ellsworth: Wow. Oh, wow. I think that makes it even more special because there's always a little bit of bias in play with those kind of things, and this is really helping the people stand out for what they're doing and what they've done. So, wow, that's really cool.

Michelle Boykin: And if listeners are listening to this before December 15th, nominations are still open until that day.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh my gosh. So listeners out there, get online and submit yourself, your friend, your mentor. Get out there. That's great. December 15th, nationalwomeninroofing.org. Apply.

Christee Holbrook: You do have to be a member to apply.

Megan Ellsworth: Awesome.

Christee Holbrook: Or to nominate someone.

Megan Ellsworth: Nominate. Okay, great.

Christine Mockenhaupt: Nominee has to be a member.

Christee Holbrook: Yeah.

Megan Ellsworth: Great. So let's look at some of the past National Women in Roofing Days. What are some of your favorite moments or just favorite whole day from a whole year? Let's go around. Maybe Michelle, we can start with you.

Michelle Boykin: Oh gosh. I would have to say, starting the Spanish track last year was really impactful. It was sort of a test for us. We didn't know how it was going to go. But to see a group of women walking around really completely engaged in their own native language was super cool. And to be able to continue that this year is even better.

Megan Ellsworth: Absolutely.

Jennifer Keegan: I'll say, for me, it's the hallway conversations. It's, as you're walking by people, you hear amazing conversations. You see hugs, you see excitement, people catching up. And then you see the serious conversations. People off to the side really deep in a narrative in solving the problems, the challenges or just having that listening ear to help you really think through the moment that you're finding yourselves in. And then the empowerments that I see at the end of some of these sessions. Last year I sat in a session on harassment, and while the conversation was very intense, to see women leave that session and feel like they now had the support to stand up and have that framework, that ability to stand up for themselves or stand up for that person that they saw not being treated properly, that empowerment that they got from those sessions was really inspiring to me.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah, I love that.

Christine Mockenhaupt: I think for me, because I'm so passionate about councils, when we have those lunchtimes where everybody's in regions and there might be people in their region that they don't know and getting together and starting, a call folds into starting new councils. People come together and they're like, "We need to start a council in our area." So we have a big explosion of council's growth after NWIR Day and that makes me so happy.

Christee Holbrook: I think mine was the first one I ever went to, and walking in that room and realizing that I have found my people, they understand the language that I speak, and just having that connection and making those friends that I've made. So the first one. Just keeps getting better every year.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah, absolutely. Anna, last but not least.

Anna Anderson: Well, I was going to say the favorite moment, I think it's everyone is so different, but every event has, the energy is tangible and that is one of the key components. Liz Garza, I think we all know her well, one of her first sessions or a time she went to NWIR Day, she came up to me and she said, "This is the oxygen that I need. It's my yearly trip. I have to do this event." And I think that stuck with me. This is the oxygen that I need. And so many women are in that spot. So it's that energy, and you need that as you carry through the coming challenges ahead.

Jennifer Keegan: I have one more.

Megan Ellsworth: Yes, do it.

Jennifer Keegan: So I was so blessed to be able to host this session on being an upstander, and related that to that inner superhero that we all have. And this room full of women sat there and talked through these difficult conversations and how would we approach it. At the end, they all put on these superhero capes and masks, and I have this picture of this room of empowered women who were like, okay, I now have a framework to help go through these difficult conversations. And every time I see that photo, it makes my heart so happy.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh, I love that. Oh my gosh, that's amazing. Yeah. National Women in Roofing Day is such a great, great day. I think my favorite moment was, last year y'all did a book club and a yoga session the day after. Christee and I were there and we were all talking about being queer or having a loved one that's queer and representing that community. And it was just a beautiful conversation, and frankly, I don't think I'll ever forget it. It was a really great moment. What does being a woman in roofing mean to you? Heavy question, or light.

Christine Mockenhaupt: I guess I can start this one, because I go back to when we started National Women in Roofing. I didn't even think I was a woman in roofing, because I feel like roofing is the common denominator that draws us all together but there's so many different aspects of roofing and all being in this together and being able to empower each other and encourage each other. That's probably the most important thing that this means.

Jennifer Keegan: I was so used to being the 1% in the room, being the only woman in the room. And I was very comfortable in that space and it was fine. But when I got to my first National Women in Roofing Day, I went from being really uncomfortable at IRE, to being so excited because now I had this tribe of women that I could connect with, that I could get to know and I felt like I was no longer that one lone woman in the room and that there was all these other... It was like a whole new world got opened up to me and I was so grateful to have fallen into the association.

Anna Anderson: I would piggyback off that because I was going to say, you have this tribe, and anywhere that you go, I travel a lot and I know everyone around the circle travels a lot, there's always someone somewhere across the country that you can reach out to. Without National Women in Roofing, that wouldn't be possible. So to me, what does being a woman in roofing mean to you? Before you were just a woman in roofing, and now you have a tribe as a woman in roofing that truly has your back. And it is recognized in the industry where you see an active NWIR member, they recognize, oh, you have somebody for that. And we're like, of course we have somebody for that. [inaudible 00:22:54]. When you're engaged, there's other members who are engaged and they have a solution for that. And it is true.

Michelle Boykin: I think similarly to that is that, as a woman in roofing, we have the opportunity to bring someone else into this tribe. And before we had National Women in Roofing, we were alone, we were forging our own path. And while we may still be forging our own path in certain aspects, we can now look over and see the lady that needs a hand up or she just needs somebody to walk alongside her. And we have that tribe now to lean on and bring more people in.

Christee Holbrook: And it kind of goes back to what I said originally, walking in that first National Women in Roofing and finding the people that you can connect with and people you can lean on, look to for helping answer questions or... It was an aha moment. And I've met some really, really good people.

Christine Mockenhaupt: I've heard a lot of people say that have been in a lot of women's organizations that we are the most welcoming organization and event that they've ever been to. They've never felt more comfortable in meeting people and making connections.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah, I would absolutely agree with that. I'm also a member of a couple other local women's groups here in Colorado, and I'm also a part of some groups with music. And I would definitely say that this one, of all things roofing, is just so warm and welcoming. And doesn't matter where you're from, what you look like, we're all going to be friends and family at the end of the day. And that's great. I have one more question for you all, and that is, are there any events surrounding National Women in Roofing Day during IRE or the day after National Women in Roofing Day that people should be aware of and register for?

Jennifer Keegan: Well, National Women in Roofing Day is now officially National Women in Roofing Days. So Sunday is the big conference. The keynote speaker, the breakout sessions, the reception afterwards and that's on Sunday. On Monday is where we have that books and brunch that was referenced earlier that you talked about with the queer conversation. This year it will be based on allyship. And so our keynote speaker, Kimberly Harden, will be joining us on day two for that books and brunch conversation. So we'll start with yoga to open our minds, we'll have that conversation on allyship and then we will break bread and have some brunch together. Following that effort will be the roof walk. So there's quite a few things all built around that. And there is also, the NRCA's DEI committee is working with the National Women in Roofing DEI committee to put together a reception as well, which I believe will end up being Monday evening, but that's still in development.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh, great. That's fabulous.

Anna Anderson: If you are staying for IRE, we do have an educational session on Thursday morning at 7:45 to continue the discussion on allies and advocates.

Megan Ellsworth: Awesome. Wow. Okay, everyone. So if you're not already registered for National Women in Roofing Days, then get registered now. Go to nationalwomeninroofing.org, register and sign up for that educational session at IRE. Make sure to head to all the receptions. It is so much fun. I've had so much fun, ladies. Thank you so much for chatting with me. I love you all dearly, and I'm so excited to see you in person at National Women in Roofing Days.

Jennifer Keegan: Well, hey, thanks so much, Megan. Thank you to the entire Roofers at Coffee Shop team. We so appreciate all that you do to help promote the event and the association at large.

Megan Ellsworth: Yes, of course. For everyone listening, again, make sure to register. You can find out more also on the National Women in Roofing Directory on rooferscoffeeshop.com. So go there, go to their website, register, apply, get your hotels now because it is going to be really busy. There's, I guess, a really big football event happening right before or after. I think it's something to do with bowls and footballs. So everyone make sure. [inaudible 00:27:39]. Exactly. Again, thank you so much and we'll be seeing you next time on Roofing Road Trips.

Outro: Make sure to subscribe to our channel and leave a review. Thanks for listening. This has been Roofing Road Trips with Heidi from the rooferscoffeeshop.com.