2025 GWIC NYC Agenda

Championing Women in the Workplace: Inclusive Policies for Growth and Success

Women in construction face unique challenges but are thriving and leading new ways to create healthy workplaces that go beyond traditional approaches and emphasize strategies that address their personal and professional needs. Critical elements include flexible work arrangements, meaningful diversity and inclusion initiatives, and supportive HR policies for mental health and work-life balance such as parental leave, mentorship, leadership development paths and stress management resources. Two veteran woman managers share how targeted benefits and psychologically safe environments allow employers to attract and retain talented women, and boost workplace productivity, engagement and community.

Continental Breakfast & Exhibits

Day 2 Welcome Remarks

The Power of Life or Death Listening: What You Can Learn From a Former FBI Hostage Negotiator

Effective communication starts with listening. Learn to listen more effectively, engage more meaningfully, and achieve greater outcomes in both your personal and professional interactions. Former FBI hostage negotiator Michelle Kelley will provide attendees with a compelling, interactive walk through the listening skills she used in hostage negotiations. She will discuss (1) how to listen at an elite level (actual v. active listening); (2) how to be trusted and liked (you don’t have to like them back); (3) how to gather critical information (intelligence) without asking questions; (4) how to state what you think is really going on without causing offense; and (5) three things you can say that produce amazing results – but use with care, you may get more than you bargained for!

Riding the Waves: Navigating the Uncertain Waters of Diversity Initiatives

In the Summer of 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court held that race cannot be considered a factor in admissions at colleges that accept federal funds. Since these decisions, there has been a wave of lawsuits against companies and agencies challenging DE&I initiatives, hiring and promotion practices, and minority/women-owned/disadvantaged business enterprise programs. This panel will discuss the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decisions, the arguments being made for and against these diversity initiatives and the uncertain future of DE&I and MWDBE initiatives in the construction industry.

Refreshments, Networking, Exhibits

Why Construction Tradeswomen Need STEM Skills to Boost Careers

In a construction marketplace of more complex, fast-moving and technology-focused projects, craft workers need to use math, science, technology and engineering (STEM) on a daily basis to do their work. But emphasis on STEM in construction trade training programs has waned in the last 25 years, with next-gen workers lacking the needed foundation to tackle new complexities in such areas as welding, plumbing, electrical & HVAC. Women are poised to advance STEM training in corporate, union, nonunion, nonprofit and corporate recruiting initiatives—and particularly in school-based programs. This eases the learning lift later for future generations, boosts their marketability and destigmatizes craft work as an option in high school/early career development and guidance. Join homebuilding veteran and WBE entrepreneur Demi Clark to learn how STEM skill can add the spark to move the equity needle for women in construction.

Building an Inclusive Future: How ESG Empowers Women in Construction

From Blame to Growth: Problem Solving Strategies that Build a Positive Learning Organization

The construction sector tends to focus on the negative—studying failure and laying blame when things go wrong, an approach that can hinder growth and innovation. Join Victoria as she explores a transformative approach to industry accountability and learning. She will share insights on how Colas, the engineering unit of major global contractor Bouygues, has created a comprehensive corporate framework to investigate both successful and challenging events. By fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, Colas empowers its workforce to view accountability through a new lens that embraces learning rather than blaming.