The ICONIC Women of Distinction Awards (WODA) are an annual awards ceremony held by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Southern Nevada Chapter since 1998. Our program recognizes women across a variety of businesses and industries to celebrate their excellence and dedication that sets them apart in their fields to inspire success.

WODA 2021 is proud to recognize 39 women from diverse entrepreneurial backgrounds across 13 award categories. One of our nominees, Christine Heinrich, nominated in the STEM / Science / Technology / Engineering & Mathematics category, shared what the NAWBO WODA 2021 nomination means to her.

WODA 2021 Q&A

1. What does it mean to you to be a NAWBO WODA 2021 nominee?

It’s an honor to be nominated among the STEM category, especially for my work as a technical recruiter that puts me in intimate relationships with people within the IT community. Myself, not being a technical person or coming from that kind of a background – but just having those close interactions. So I’m honored, humbled and grateful for this nomination.

2. NAWBO is proud to recognize women across all industries. Can you tell us more about your role/experience in the IT recruiting industry?

My husband has been in IT for over 20 years and a recruiter was trying to recruit him when he was switching jobs. He had actually found a job on his own and he asked them if they were hiring for other kinds of positions that weren’t necessarily technically related, and it turns out they needed somebody in their office.

I’ve helped with a lot of operational stuff, but then began screening candidates, and scheduling them with recruiters. And in interacting with them, I began to want to recruit as well. So I asked Sonia (whom I met back in 2014), if I could step into the world of recruiting. Then once I did begin that, it just became the most rewarding position that I’ve ever had.

3. NAWBO thrives on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. What advice do you have for other women looking to achieve their personal/professional goals?

You have to be honest with yourself about what you can accept. About what you want in your career and professional life, and how that balances with your personal life. You have to be honest with it and you have to ask for it, if you don’t ask for it, then nobody’s going to know what you need. I think you need to continue to look for it until you find it, because otherwise you’re sacrificing something, either personally or professionally, rather than getting it balanced.

I think anything that brings the community together is powerful. The more people that are involved in organizations like NAWBO, can affect change. So having a group that’s supporting women in particular within our community is always something that I want to be involved with.

4. Is there anybody you would like to thank in your personal or professional life that has got you to this point in your career?

Sonia! I’m very grateful to her for all the opportunities that she’s created for me. There’s a lot that I didn’t even know was possible for me. She’s always pushed me. I’m not a very extroverted person, so she’s always pushed me to go to networking events and get out of my shell. It takes a lot to come out of my comfort zone. But every time I’ve done it, I’ve gotten a big reward. You don’t know how much impact you will have on people.

And then obviously my husband has been my biggest supporter of anything I want to do. All of these events that I’ve participated in, he’s had to make a sacrifice. He’s either at home with our son or taking part in the IT community.

5. What’s next for you in terms of your own career/personal aspirations?

I want to continue what I’m doing. I can’t really see myself leaving this industry. I enjoy it so much, I want to be able to impact more people. And, you know, the last year and a half has been insane for the employment front. Job seekers now are having a lot of challenges that they didn’t have. They’re making a lot of decisions they didn’t have to make before. So having somebody that’s reliable and consistent and there for them, that’s what I want to be so that they feel at least some peace there. I just want to continue doing what I love doing.

ICONIC Women of Distinction Awards At Paris Las Vegas

NAWBO Southern Nevada’s Women of Distinction Awards 2021 will take place at the Paris Las Vegas Versailles Ballroom on October 26. Tickets are available for purchase, here. This year, we will also be honoring small businesses and non-profits in our community with grants that will assist them to propel their organizations forward.

We welcome everyone in our community to join us as we honor all of our finalists, winners and grant recipients, as we continue our mission to connect women to the resources they need to help them achieve their personal, business or political goals. For additional information about NAWBO and our organization membership, click here.