Construction Women Reach Beyond New Diversity Barriers as Needed Leaders

Legal and Trump administration policy attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in workforce building generated some angst at the ENR Groundbreaking Women in Construction New York conference held Feb. 24-25 in Manhattan. But participants shared their intent that industry efforts will continue to expand employee numbers as more growing construction sectors exceed the supply of talent.

The Trump DEI orders are a layered challenge to developing court battles related to contracting set-aside programs for minority-and women-owned industry businesses, said Peckar & Abramson attorneys Mindy Gentille and Kim Altsuler. While aimed at federal agencies, they also have potential risk for those with federal contracts and grants, and could influence changes by more private companies—despite many unclear compliance rules, deadlines and extent of liability. 

But the DEI orders won't be enforced yet, with a March 3 federal district court ruling that blocked a new Trump effort to overturn a Feb. 21 preliminary injunction. With further action ahead on the orders in other courts, they could remain paused for an extended time. Company attorney Jennifer Harris advised attendees to "keep working ... and track your costs."

Women made up 30% of new hires and minorities comprised 25%, said Julie Hasiba, talent management partner at sector management consultant EFCG, according to its 2024 survey of 250 AEC companies. The figures are up since 2010, but are still less than parity with the general population. In a positive sign, turnover fell among both groups to about 15% last year, she said.

This suggests “that [industry] DEI programs are actually having positive impact in terms of turnover rates and representation,” Hasiba told 300 attendees at the conference, produced by ENR for Peckar & Abramson. “But there's a lot of tension [now] around this topic," she said. "Firms have really had to grapple with the differing views and perspectives on DEI.” Hasiba points to concerns related to reverse discrimination, impacts of positive or negative DEI efforts on business operations and the role of companies in generating societal impact.

But “overwhelmingly,“ she stressed, firms tell her: “this is ingrained in our culture. We're not affected by changing trends, we're balanced and measured in our approach, and we will not succumb to extreme external pressures on either side." Hasiba added: "We expect there won't be huge changes, at least for now, as we see how this moves forward.”

The GWIC West conference, set for June 8-10 in San Diego, will further detail and analyze the new DEI landscape and other workplace issues. Watch for program updates.

 More than 300 attendees at ENR's Groundbreaking Women In Construction conference in New York City gained new detail on federal diversity policy shifts but shared best practices to overcome barriers and excel in emerging construction sectors, Photo by Kristen Blush

Women leading the city's $19-billion JFK International Airport redevelopment highlighted how the public-private project is boosting participation by small and disadvantaged businesses such as a site concrete batch plant using 100% local businesses and minority-owned trucking firms, said Kristen Derewecki, a project senior engineer of construction.

The team is "particularly intentional" about community commitment and advancing participation of local, minority, women and veteran-owned businesses, “not just because it's a contractual requirement, but also because it's the fabric of who we are ... to ensure that our project has local impact,” said Uzoamaka N. Okoye, chief of staff for its centerpiece New Terminal One. Set to primarily serve international travelers, the terminal also "should have the contribution of that diversity in [its] design, construction and operation,” she added. Okoye said terminal design has started with 45% MWBE firm involvement.

'Pick Your Head Up ... Look Around'

George Pfeffer, CEO of contractor DPR and 2024 co-chair of Construction Inclusion Week—set for Oct. 13-17—explained why a commitment from industry leaders is more important now than ever. "Women play a vital role in shaping the future of the construction industry [that] is not what it was a decade ago, or even five years ago.”

Amy Wincko, the first-ever chief strategy officer at New York City contracting giant STO Building Group and a company and industry role model, grew up In a “family of electricians, definitely going through some practical work ethic training at an early age,” she told GWIC attendees. Starting her two-decade career in project forensics gave her experience in understanding “what can go wrong to figure out how you can work with things to go right," she said.

Wincko credits a female mentor "who would advocate for me in rooms that I wasn't in," she said, but one key male mentor, her father, gave her the worst piece of advice: "Keep your head down, work hard and someone will eventually notice you." She strongly advised attendees, as she does mentees, "to pick your head up, look around, understand what else is going on and raise your hand for opportunities that show your value and bring visibility." Wincko emphasized: "When you feel underestimated, use that as fuel. You know your craft. There may be more that you need to learn but rely on your competence. You can always work on confidence and relationship building to help push through feelings of discomfort.”  

South Bend, Ind., City Engineer Kara Boyles and Clune Construction Vice President of Human Resources Lisa De Lor shared key corporate strategies to address women’s personal and professional workplace needs. It is imperative to build cultures with flexible work arrangements, impactful DEI initiatives and policies such as parental leave, mentorship, leadership development paths and stress management resources for all employees, she said..

Career development should include “stretch roles" to present, lead a team or project, or work on a new initiative, said Boyles. Influential relationships and interactions with role models and decision makers are also key to career trajectory and job satisfaction, she added. De Lor emphasized that job descriptions should be gender-neutral and selection committee members should "make sure you aren't letting biases ... drive decision-making or performance reviews."

Judaline Cassidy, a three-decade New York City union plumber, tradeswoman activist and workforce development innovator, shared her career path and current mission to empower young women and girls to be confident, skilled builders of the world they envision. Through the Queens, N.Y.-based nonprofit Tools and Tiaras she founded in 2017, Cassidy hosts monthly workshops to link girls with use of construction tools as part of training needed in engineering, architecture, welding, plumbing and other fields.

"Construction needs women [in order] to survive,” Cassidy said. “Each of you has the power to change the industry that we love.” She noted "amazing things" she has gained from her industry career. "Don’t give up. Don't be swayed by all the chaos,” Cassidy implored.

A Woman's Place ... Is In the Changing Market

Related to the construction economy ahead under Trump, Jamie Cook, a veteran Wall Street construction sector analyst and managing director at Truist Securities, told attendees that stock market results for industry firms she tracks were "chaotic" since he took office in January, falling 8% for the year to date, after rising 30% last year. Going forward, she said company CEOs are optimistic that even with such uncertainties as tariffs and project tax credits, they hope for continued positive results in revenue, margins and cash flow, adding that firms have doubled in value in the past decade.

She also told attendees that in recent discussions with CEOs and CFOs related to Trump orders, "they're all surprisingly, very calm and balanced and just not really concerned" about immediate impacts "regardless of every chaos that's happening in the world." Firms "aren't changing their business model because of this administration," Cook said. "They're feeling pretty resilient. Whether it's right or wrong, [executives] feel like it could result in less regulation and more projects going forward."

Company execs see challenges in adopting technology such as AI "to automate processes, improve efficiency and drive margin expansion for themselves and their clients," said Cook. "This is a major theme that ... could probably be a big positive for the industry." But she cautioned that "labor, labor, labor," both craft and technical, remains the main constraint for firms because "it's going to limit their ability to grow."  

Cook noted women's progress in construction sector C-level management in her 25-year career, but said “the industry could do better.”  
 

George Pfeffer, CEO of DPR Construction (right), tells ENR Editor Emell Adolphus in a GWIC interview that "women play a vital role in shaping the future of the construction industry, which is not what it was five years ago."
Photo by Kristen Blush

Staying Engaged

Jennifer Downey shared how environmental, social and governance principles are practiced at Turner Construction to maximize employee engagement. “Our building industry is changing so rapidly. We’re building things that didn’t even exist five years ago, so we’re focusing on training" for employees to gain career-advancing skills, she said. "Providing safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces is crucial to cope with the industry labor shortage. It also has a business value.”

Attendees also gained insight on the added impact of private investment in infrastructure, particularly if federal funds get yanked or to boost emerging sectors like clean energy and building decarbonization—and on women’s larger roles in managing money flow to projects. Private investors steered $14 billion into infrastructure in 2014, with the total now at $117.5 billion, said Erin Arvedlund, managing editor of online sector publication Pensions and Investments. “You're in the right career so stay where you are,” she told GWIC attendees.

Tara Crotty, managing director and head of asset management at Nuveen Green Capital, said the 10-year old firm is a pioneer in providing C-PACE construction loans that fund commercial property upgrades in energy efficiency, water conservation, resilience and renewable energy through low-cost, long-term non-recourse project finance. The firm has grown its construction portfolio to $3 billion across 40 states. Crotty joined the startup after work at infrastructure investment giant BlackRock, but with a gap to start a family, and finds Nuveen Green Capital’s mission-driven culture strongly supportive. “We're trying to build better buildings and decarbonize the commercial real estate space,” said Crotty. “You feel like you have control, and you're making an impact.”

Construction AI innovator Sarah Buchner, founder and CEO of startup Trunk Tools, and Kelly Benedict, vice president of Gilbane Building Co., and a company innovation leader, shared how their respective expertise and personal chemistry is helping to foster use of the tech firm’s platform as a major cost and time saver across the contracting giant’s U.S. projects.

Noting that a large project can generate millions of pages of documents, Buchner said data discrepancies can be costly and "lead you to stop your construction site." The Trunk Tools platform can “turn all of your messy data into an Excel spreadsheet,” she said. AI “was built for construction, because it was literally made to solve our data problem,” said Buchner, who has led Trunk Tools fundraising to more than $30 million.

Need for a technology solution in recent years created “almost a Wild West” environment at Gilbane, said Benedict, with vendor pressure and fears of data misinterpretation and financial risk. “We had to get some sobriety,” she said. The AI platform was pilot-tested at a large convention center project with strong support from Gilbane lead field superintendent Andrew Roy who championed its use to company skeptics, said Benedict.

Buchner noted that two of Trunk Tools' top three current industry contracts were negotiated with women executives on the client side. “That's … real innovation,” she said. The execs urged attendees to replicate their experience. “If people [on a project] are happier because they're using their brains actually doing what they went to school to do, instead of searching and looking for data, that's a win,” said Benedict.  

Skills for the Future

Related to skill development, Demi Clark, a former union welder who now is CEO of professional services firm Spark Building Group, offered approaches to draw younger generations to join the trades—pointing to particular need in plumbing, HVAC, electrical and welding for strong STEM skills. “If you need 400,000 workers, what are you doing to change that? We have no pipeline for welding,”  she said. Looking past Gen Z to Gen Alpha, Clark suggested more communication via social media to reach the emerging group of young people who seek a well-paying career that does not require a college degree.

Listen actively and talk less was advice GWIC attendees gained from Michelle Kelley, U.S. lead for consultant The Listening Institute, and a former FBI negotiator. “The next time you sit down for a critical or difficult conversation, you can get intelligence and ... turn it into a proposal that's going to resonate with people sitting across from you,” she said. Before an attempt to negotiate a project price or solve a delay or other issue, Kelley advised attendees to know the outcome they seek and use active listening to achieve it. "You’re going to listen for emotions, facts, motivators, values and beliefs,” Kelley said, rather than dominate discussion with too many questions.

GWIC attendees also were urged to help shift company culture from a "blame" approach when a problem occurs to one that embraces learning from such incidents and is transformative. For engineer Colas Inc., a unit of French contracting giant Bouygues, that strategy has led to improved safety through better worker transparency and accountability, said Victoria Hoyt, its vice president of health, safety and environment. She recounted a jobsite incident uncharacterisically reported by a driver that a probe later proved was caused by faulty equipment, not human error.

In the past, the driver might have been immediately fired because the industry tended to “bring this enforcer attitude,” Hoyt said.