What was your greatest professional achievement or most notable project in the last 12 months? Most recently, my greatest professional achievement has been watching our team’s partnership with a pharmaceutical client who I have been following since their initial startup phase. I learned about this company while studying emerging therapeutics during my undergrad, and followed their development sheerly due to a fundamental belief in the work they were doing. When I joined DCBA in 2018, I had the opportunity to pursue a business relationship with that company and watch our team complete some of our most notable projects to date to further their research and development capabilities.
What has been the driving force behind your success in the AEC industry? DCBA’s concentration in the biotechnology and healthcare sectors is what motivates me. I am so passionate about science and excited to see some of the advances that have been made in cell gene therapy and mRNA space in the past few years, many of them in New England. In my previous work in the nonprofit sector, I gained a first-hand look into how life changing new drug development can be for those with rare diseases and disabilities. Playing a role in supporting the companies driving those developments and the patients we serve is invaluable.
What is your favorite / most beneficial part of Women in Construction week? Women in Construction week represents an exciting opportunity to highlight the numerous career opportunities available in construction and across the STEM industries, where women are frequently underrepresented. I believe it is extremely important to provide younger women insight into these industries while still in school, and Women in Construction week showcases this on a national level. There are so many different paths available to those entering the industry outside of project management – from preconstruction, to VDC, estimating, finance, business, and construction technology – that I hope to see increasingly communicated to those considering construction.
Who or what inspired you to join the AEC industry? I have had consistent exposure to the AEC industry throughout my life, as both of my parents are engineers who pursued careers in construction. My dad has spent the majority of his career working on projects in the biotechnology and healthcare sectors, and always emphasized that the influence healthcare and pharmaceutical facilities can have on the lives of others is what drove him. I share a lot of his passion for science and business, and my position at DCBA has allowed me to combine these interests into a role that consistently pushes me to grow and develop.
What are your goals for the future? I am currently completing my MBA with a specialization in Strategic Management and Innovation and looking forward to reaching that milestone! With this, I plan to expand my knowledge of emerging science and technologies to enable our company and our clients to grow in a more efficient and effective manner. In my role, I am looking forward to developing new relationships with clients whose visions I believe in personally. I think that this is a pivotal time in science and technology for new growth and innovation, and I am excited to integrate that into my career.