On October 22, 1990, four National Institutes of Health (NIH) women met to discuss the feasibility of establishing a forum to address the concerns of NIH women in the local community as well as the broader Federal base. At this first meeting the consensus was that a forum was much needed to take action to end sex discrimination in employment in the Federal service, to increase job opportunities for women and to utilize the potential of women in the Federal service. It became further evident that the national organization of Federally Employed Women was the vehicle through which women could deal with the issues that concerned them and have the support and affiliation of other Federal women. On January 25, 1991, the BETHESDA CHAPTER of Federally Employed Women received its charter.

Chapter Officers

President - Rudene Thomas, Office of AIDS Research, (301) 435-8921, rt77t@nih.gov

Vice President- Nadine Benton, National Library of Medicine, (301) 435-5083, BentonN@mail.nlm.nih.gov 

Treasurer – Michelle Shorter, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, (301) 594-8842, ms190i@NIH.GOV.

Recording Officer – Maria Hessie, The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 301-496-5046,  mhessie@niaid.nih.gov.

Immediate Past-President - Genia H. Bohrer, Office of Research Services, National Institutes of Health, (301) 402-3570, bohrerg@ors.od.nih.gov.

Standing Committee Chairpersons

Publicity Chair – Allyson Browne, NIH Business and Research Support System, (301) 451-0002, abrowne@mail.nih.gov

Membership Chair - Arlene Polk, Office of Financial Management, 301.402.6101, polka@od.nih.gov 

Membership Host – Glenda Keen, Office of Equal Opportunity, 301.496.7543, Keeng@od.nih.gov 

Legislative Liaison Karen Howard, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, (301) 594-8875, howardk@extra.niddk.nih.gov

Training and Development -Vacant

Monthly Meetings -

Our meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month from Noon to 1:00 p.m. on the National Institutes of Health Campus, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland. We are accessible via the Medical Center stop on the Metro RED line. For more information, contact Publicity Chair, Angela Magliozzi at 496-1642 or am133m@nih.gov.

Interested in joining the Bethesda Chapter? Membership dues are $35 per year. This includes $25 national dues and $10 Bethesda Chapter dues. National dues include access to the electronic newsletter, NEWS & VIEWS, a national newspaper.

You may print out a FEW membership application here.   Forward completed applications to Arlene Polk, Membership Chair at polka@od.nih.gov . Ms. Polk can also be reached on 301-402-6101. Our membership is open to all federal employees. Those interested in joining FEW but who are not employed in the federal sector may join as an Associate Member. 

Chapter Training Presentations -
Bethesda Chapter's training presentations are held during general meetings. See current schedule.

Montgomery County Women's Fair -
Since 1996 Bethesda Chapter has proudly participated in the planning process for the  Montgomery County Women's Fair. The Fair is held annually on the last Saturday in March, For more information about the Fair visit their web site at http://www.mcwomensfair.org/ or call 301-649-5551.

Membership Dinners -
The Bethesda Chapter sponsors membership dinners on a bi-monthly basis at local Rockville/Bethesda, MD restaurants.  For more information, contact the Chapter Publicity Chair, Allison Browne abrowne@mail.nih.gov (301)451-0002. 

Maryland Regional Women's Legislative Briefing -
The Bethesda Chapter is a cosponsoring member of the Maryland Regional Women's Legislative Briefing which is an annual event held in February. The WLB provides women in the state of Maryland with an overview of upcoming state legislation of pertinent interest to women's issues and concerns. For more information on the WLB visit the web site at http://www.co.mo.md.us/cfw.

Women's Health Initiative - The WHI is one of the largest preventive studies of its kind in the United States. The WHI will focus on the major causes of death, disability and frailty in postmenopausal women. The overall goal of WHI is to reduce coronary heart disease, breast and colorectal cancer, and osteoporosis-fractures among postmenopausal women via prevention/intervention strategies and risk factor identification.

NIH Office of Research on Women's Health - The Office of Research on Women's Health serves as a focal point for women's health research at NIH.

The National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine - The National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) identifies and evaluates unconventional health care practices; and supports, coordinates and conducts research and research training on these practices and disseminates information.

The NIH Work and Family Life Center - The NIH Work and Family Life Center provides resources and services to help employees balance the increasing demands of career interests and family responsibilities.

NIH Quality of Work Life Initiative - The NIH Quality of Work Life Initiative provides information about a variety of programs and services available at NIH which are designed to enhance the quality of work life of NIH Staff and their families. Links are provided to NIH sites that provide information of interest to NIH Community on such matters as Leave, Benefits, Health Programs, Campus Services Career Development and others.

The Workplace Diversity Initiative - The Workplace Diversity Initiative (WDI), a program under the auspices of the Office of Equal Opportunity, is a long-term strategy designed to manage the differences and similarities of NIH employees in order to promote productivity, quality and fairness in the workplace.

The NIH Training Center - The NIH Training Center is a central location for all training offered to NIH employees.

United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) - the U.S. Government's official site for jobs and employment information provided by the United States Office of Personnel Management.

NIH Postdoctoral/Clinical Fellows Committee - The NIH Fellows Committee consists of representatives from each institute working to enhance the intramural training program, foster communication among fellows and the NIH community, and serve as a liaison to administration programs affecting the training experience. Representatives are selected for one year appointments based on elections and the recommendation of the ICD Scientific Director.

The information provided on the site below should not be construed to represent the official position of Federally Employed Women or the Bethesda Chapter of Federally Employed Women.  We list this site for informational purposes only.

The Women's Law Center of Maryland, Inc.- The Women's Law Center (WLC) champions the rights of women and children through educational programs, monitoring compliance with the law, seeking to change unjust laws and implementation of innovative programs to foster change.

Montgomery County Commission for Women - The Montgomery County Commission for Women (CFW) is both a department of county government and an advisory board. The Commission's primary focus is to identify inequities in laws, policies, practices and procedures, and recommend and promote remedies. The Commission is a 15-member volunteer citizen advisory board.

Blanche Worldwide, Inc. 

Commission on the Status of Women

City of Fairfax Commission for Women

Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science Engineering and Technology Development (CAWMSET)

The League of Women Voters Montgomery County Maryland

Women's Organizations in the Washington DC Metro Area

Interesting DC Sites

The White House

The Senate

The House of Representatives