New OWA+DP website to launch

Hello OWA+DP Members!

I would like to announce that we'll be launching our new website very soon. We hope to achieve 3 main goals with the new site:

(1) Allow Bill Hocker to take step back from being our web administrator / internet guru after 20+ years!
(2) Save our organization money by reducing transaction fees from 3rd party applications
(3) Automate certain processes to make Steering Committee tasks easier and to better serve our members

The current plan is to maintain the owa-usa.org website as an archive site so all that data isn't lost. However, it will eventually be removed from search engines, so you will eventually need to type in the full URL or use the link on the new website to access the archive. This means you won't be able to Google information on the archive site (only the new one).

The new site is expected to launch by May 1st with a new URL address. Anyone who has paid membership dues since January 1st, 2023 will receive an email from me soon with your new login information as your profile information has already been transferred over to the new site. You will also be able to pay your annual dues and retreat fees at this new site (through Affinipay), so you will no longer have to use PayPal. We will also still accept checks in the mail for those who prefer not to pay online. If you are an existing, active member and do not receive your login and password info from me by May 1st, you can email me, Loretta Drummond

If you haven't paid membership dues in the last 16 months, I highly encourage you to renew and re-register on the new site so you don't lose full access to our active member forums and events. Without the annual dues, it's difficult for our organization to sustain itself over the long haul.

Lastly, I welcome any constructive feedback when the new website is ready. It will likely never be "perfect" and there may be bumps along the way through the transition, but I hope you will stick with us and continue making this a strong and supportive community for women in architecture and design!

Kind regards,
Loretta Drummond
OWA Steering Committee Member