CoNECD Brings People Together

The Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity, or CoNECD (pronounced “connected”), is the only conference dedicated to all the diverse groups that comprise the engineering and computing workforce. Established in 2018, CoNECD provides a forum for exploring current research and practices to enhance diversity and inclusion of all underrepresented populations in the engineering and computing professions, including gender identity and expression, race and ethnicity, disability, veterans, LGBTQ+, first generation and socio-economic status. 

“CoNECD is open to anyone interested in broadening participation in engineering and computer science, whether that’s an engineering professor or a political scientist. It’s a place where they will find an intellectual and emotional community of like-minded people,” says Dr. Bevlee Watford, engineer, academic administrator, and CoNECD founder. 

Origins of CoNECD

Watford served as the Associate Dean for Equity and Engagement and professor of engineering education at the Virginia Tech College of Engineering, where she had been a faculty member since 1992, before retiring earlier this year. She was also WEPAN Board President from 2004-2005 and President of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) from 2017-2018.

At the time of her ASEE presidency, the president of WEPAN was Amy Freeman and the president of the National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates (NAMEPA) was Virginia Booth Womack, all Black women. “I remember talking to Virginia at a conference, and she said we should do something special to commemorate this unprecedented event.”

Watford kept that conversation in mind as she attended various conferences and workshops in her role as ASEE president. One such gathering was the Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration (CIEC), which brings together four disparate ASEE connections to collaborate on a single topic. This format got her thinking.

“At the time, I had to go to WEPAN events for topics relating to women in engineering and to NAMEPA events for topics relating people of color of engineering. I talked to Teri Reed, the preceding WEPAN president, and floated the idea of a conference that brought together the ASEE Women in Engineering and Minorities in Engineering Divisions, along with NAMEPA and WEPAN, to address any and all minoritized populations in engineering and computer science.”

This sort of collaborative work was not new to Watford, whose career has been spent with one foot in the broadening participation research/engineering education space and one foot in the practitioner space.

“It didn’t seem like there was a forum for those two groups to meet in a concentrated place. If we could bring together researchers and practitioners, we could feature both halves of the problem and have them interact to a much greater degree.”

CoNECD Today

CoNECD is an independent conference, although it pays to use ASEE’s conference services such as registration logistics and paper management systems. Watford is still running the conference, and is in the process of creating a nonprofit that will serve as CoNECD’s home organization. A sponsor since its inception, WEPAN is proud to continue the tradition at CoNECD 2025, which is taking place February 9-11 2025 in San Antonio, TX. The complimentary annual conference registrations that are a part of WEPAN institutional membership can be applied to CoNECD, and WEPAN individual members receive a discount on registration.

When asked to describe CoNECD in three words, Watford said “inclusion,” and “professional support,” for both practitioners and researchers. ““We recognize that, in order to be successful, certain populations need certain accommodations within our current systems, or we need to change those systems.” Dr. Ershela Sims, Executive Director & CEO of WEPAN, agrees and thinks those words can also be applied to WEPAN programming.

“Women have experienced non-inclusive academic and workspaces in engineering throughout time. We want our events to be an open space that provide support for everyone working to advance cultures of inclusion in engineering.”

WEPAN Women in Engineering Program Day

This year, one of WEPAN’s signature events, the annual Women in Engineering Program Day (WIEP), will be taking place in tandem with CoNECD. On February 12, WIEP will convene practitioners and other stakeholders in the advancement of women in engineering to network, share resources, and discuss promising practices for supporting women in engineering. WIEP pays homage to WEPAN’s origins as an organization founded by Women in Engineering Program practitioners.

WIEP registration is currently open. CoNECD registrants receive a $25 discount to WIEP. Forward your CoNECD registration confirmation to info@wepan.org for the discount code.

‍