About
WOMEN IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE LOS ANGELES
Women in International Trade Los Angeles (WIT-LA) exists to promote the professional development of women in international trade and business and to raise public awareness of the importance of international trade to economic development. WIT-LA accomplishes this by offering a wide range of programs to enhance and enrich your professional development. These top-notch programs include events on honing job skills designed to advance your professional growth and expand opportunities in global trade.
WIT-LA provides a vibrant professional networking platform for you to meet trade leaders, local, national and global government officials as well as peers in the Southern California trade community.
WIT-LA is a volunteer-run organization and encourages its membership to participate in program development and leadership roles. WIT-LA also offers members valuable leadership opportunities through service on its Board of Directors and its variety of committees.
Our Story
In 1985, a group of women from the Los Angeles area formed Women in International Trade with the objective to advance career and trade opportunities for women in Southern California. Over the years, WIT-LA has provided our trade community with relevant professional development programming and the opportunity to learn to network and expand professional networks. We are grateful to still have some of our founding members actively involved with WIT.
Today WIT-LA is recognized worldwide for building ongoing trade relationships within and between global communities. After more than 30 years of providing trade education programming and networking opportunities, our organization is now well positioned to further the advancement of women and men in international trade in Southern California. By expanding our global horizons and building strong business relationships, our organization will continue to grow and is committed to serve our international trade community so that it thrives and excels as one of the leading centers of international trade around the world.
Global Affiliation
WIT-LA, achieves global reach by its affiliation with OWIT - Organization of Women in International Trade - a non-profit professional organization with over 3,000 members worldwide and operating since the late 1980’s designed to promote women doing business in international trade by providing networking and educational opportunities.
As a member of WIT-LA, you automatically become a member of the global organization, OWIT.
WIT-LA was one of the founding OWIT chapters and is part of a growing list of chapters that span the globe covering a multitude of countries and regions including the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa.
Leading Organization Promoting International Trade in Southern California for over 30 years
Mission Statement
WIT-LA’s values and philosophy are embraced in its mission statement; “Providing professional and personal enrichment for the women and men in international trade” in the Southern California area.
Supporting this mission, we provide educational programming to enhance and advance the career opportunities of our members. Our continuously increasing business network continues to provide a collective forum to support education, facilitate information exchange and promote networking.
In pursuing these goals, WIT-LA strives to provide a rewarding volunteer environment, to stay at the forefront of trade and technological developments, and to work in sensitive cooperation with peers and alliances.
Philanthropy
WIT-LA is proud to provide two annual scholarships to local college students and fund annual contributions in support of our preferred charity, Room to Read. This organization strives to end the poverty cycle one child at a time by building schools and libraries and providing long term scholarships to girls in the developing world. To make a contribution to Room To Read through the WIT-LA contribution fund, please
click here. To learn more about the organization, you can visit
www.roomtoread.org
Membership Benefits
Monthly Programs
Monthly programs feature key industry and government leaders. Speakers address international issues such as trade policy, legislation, transportation, customs, import, export, and other trade related issues.
Education
Monthly Seminars and briefings are geared toward developing the personal and professional skills of members in the field of international trade.
Networking
Monthly programs and special social events provide excellent networking opportunities to develop business contacts.
Newsletters / Meeting Announcements
Quarterly newsletters and monthly meeting announcements provide information on upcoming events and trade issues.
Directory Opt in
Members and their companies will be listed in the WIT-LA directory as well as the OWIT international directory.
Reciprocal Benefits
OWIT membership entitles WIT-LA members to reduced rates at other OWIT Chapters' events and OWIT events co-sponsored with other trade associations.
OWIT Job Bank (Members Only)
Current national job bank featuring jobs related to international business in all fields. Posting of job openings are free for members. For posting information, or if you require the WIT password, please e-mail us at
info@wit-la.org