Over 5,200 Tradeswomen from the U.S. and Canada Attended the Largest Ever TWBN Conference; President Biden Addressed Attendees, Reminding Them of Their Phenomenal Impact

Washington, DC – October 1, 2024 – This past weekend, more than 5,200 tradeswomen, along with top government, labor, and industry leaders from across North America, gathered in New Orleans, Louisiana, for NABTU’s 14th annual Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference (TWBN).

TWBN has become the largest annual building trades conference in the world, bringing together union tradeswomen from the United States and Canada. The event included plenary sessions, workshops, panels, a mile-long banner parade that went down Julia, Camp, and Poydras streets, and networking opportunities geared towards empowering tradeswomen and increasing skills and knowledge to help them succeed and be fulfilled in their careers.

NABTU President Sean McGarvey noted, “In my twenty years at NABTU and throughout my career, I have always aspired to make sure that the next generation is even stronger. Looking out at the TWBN audience, at the sea of over 5,000 fierce, determined, and powerful women—living proof of our progress—I am more than confident that it will be.”

The conference featured high-level speeches and participation from rank-and-file tradeswomen, national government officials including U.S. President Joe Biden and Department of Labor Secretary Julie Su, labor leaders including AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, NABTU President Sean McGarvey, LiUNA General President Brent Booker, Insulators LMCT Director Gina Walsh and others, industry executives including Anne Ackerley from Blackrock, Heather Baldwin from Micron, and Blanca Diaz from Turner Construction, as well as executives from allied organizations including Dr. Christing Yu Moutier from the American Federation for Suicide Prevention, Dr. Sally Spencer Thomas from United Suicide Survivors International, and Mary Ellen Wiederwohl from Accelerator for America. The event underscored the significance of the Infrastructure Generation – this once-in-a-generation workforce being created from the unprecedented federal policy wins delivered for working families in the construction industry – and emphasized the importance of the November election.

Vicki O’Leary, NABTU Tradeswomen Committee Chair, said, “This weekend, we were filled with immense pride and gratitude. TWBN is not just a culmination of our hard work; it represents a pivotal moment in our commitment to advancing tradeswomen and fostering collaboration across the industry and government. The magnitude of this event is unparalleled, and the tremendous shared insights will shape the future of our field.”

Saturday Speaker Videos
Intros: 
Land Acknowledgement
Adriana Lopez Introduces Vicki and Erica
Tureka Dixon Introduces Sean
Bethany Wilson Introduces Dr. Moutier
Judaline Cassidy Introduces Blanca Diaz
Tessa Plourde Introduced Anne Ackerley
Janaya Nelson Introduces Brent Booker

Speakers:
U.S. President Joe Biden
U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Julie Su
NABTU President Sean McGarvey
LiUNA General President Brent Booker
American Federation for Suicide Prevention Medical Director Dr. Christine Yu Moutier
Turner Construction Executive Blanca Diaz
Managing Director, Head of BlackRock’s Retirement Group, Anne Ackerley

Sunday Speaker Videos
Intros:
Angie Flores introduces Vicki and Erica
Lezlie Harris Introduces Kerry Washington
Constance Vincent Introduces Gina Walsh
Jenn Massey introduces Sally Spencer-Thomas
Shalayna Hull Introduces Baldwin
Lily Voon Introduces Wiederwohl
 
Speakers:
Gina Walsh Lifetime Award
Insulators LMC Director Gina Walsh
United Suicide Survivors International Co-Founder and CEO Sally Spencer-Thomas
Micron VP-Global Indirect Procurement Heather Baldwin
Accelorator for America CEO Mary Ellen Wiederwohl

The 2025 TWBN conference is currently scheduled for September 19-21, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois.

Press contacts:
Betsy Barrett and Kaylie Rowland, NABTU (US) | comms@nabtu.org | (703) 328-1434
Jennifer White, CBTU (Canada) | jwhite@buildingtrades.ca | (613) 301-4795

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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About NABTU: North America’s Building Trades Unions is an alliance of 14 national and international unions in the building and construction industry that collectively represent over 3 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada. Each year, our unions and signatory contractor partners invest over $2 billion in private-sector money to fund and operate over 1,900 apprenticeship training and education facilities across North America that produce the safest, most highly trained, and most productive skilled craft workers found anywhere in the world. NABTU is dedicated to creating economic security and employment opportunities for its construction workers by safeguarding wage and benefits standards, promoting responsible private capital investments, investing in renowned apprenticeship and training, and creating more construction career pathways to the middle class for women, communities of color, indigenous people, veterans, and the justice-involved. For more information, please visit nabtu.org.