International. The newly created International Network for Women in Cooling (INWIC) confirmed the election of its first female president and president-elect: Colleen Keyworth was voted by the board as president to serve as of January 1, 2023, while Dr. Ina Colombo-Youla, was elected as president-elect to succeed her in 2024.
The official appointments were made after a unanimous vote during the recent quarterly INWIC board meeting. Representatives from 12 of the 13 founding partners attended the virtual meeting and voted on nominations that had previously been submitted.
"We want to formally congratulate our newly appointed leaders and wish them all the best in their mission to create a path where none has been before," said the INWIC Secretariat. "We are confident that INWIC can make a big difference with such strong leaders at the helm."
The remainder of the board is composed of representatives from each founding partner: one delegate plus one alternate with WRD and UNEP OzonAction jointly managing the Secretariat.
Colleen Keyworth currently resides as the 2022 Women in HVACR Chair and has served on the Women's Board in HVACR group for the past nine years. During his tenure, the organization has grown from 100 to more than 900 members. She is also director of sales and online access marketing for an HVAC/R web marketing company located in Michigan, United States.
"This is completely uncharted territory, but I look forward to the challenge," Keyworth said during his acceptance speech. "It will be important to break down barriers and learn to work together, not just in our own silos and districts."
"INWIC is such an important organization because, for the first time, we intend to unite women's industry groups around the world," Keyworth added. "By doing so, we can gather resources and share proven strategies and programs to avoid the learning curve of groups just starting out. I'm excited to work with Ina and meet the rest of INWIC's other partners. I can't wait to rise to the challenge of bringing everyone together to open up the industry to all people."
Dr. Ina Colombo-Youla is the Deputy Director General of the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR), where she oversees the promotion of the refrigeration industry worldwide. He holds a PhD in engineering (carbon dioxide refrigeration for retail applications), a master's degree in sustainable energy systems, and several other degrees. She has published three academic articles on women in the RACHP industry and is an advocate for diversity in the engineering industry, particularly in regards to ethnic representation.
