From the court to the C-suite, female athletes bring discipline, drive, and dynamic leadership to the AEC industry.
Every March, as the NCAA Final Four dominates headlines in Tampa Bay, I’m reminded of my own days on the basketball court – and, more importantly, how those moments have shaped me as a business leader. My time as a college athlete didn’t just teach me how to shoot a perfect three or how to defend against a pick-and-roll. It taught me how to lead, how to trust, and how to work within a team where each person’s role was critical to our collective success.
These are the same lessons I carry into my work in the architecture, engineering, and construction world today.
Studies consistently show that athletic backgrounds provide a powerful foundation for women pursuing leadership roles. According to Ernst & Young and espnW, 94 percent of women in C-suite positions played sports at some level – and more than half competed at the collegiate level. UN Women adds that 80 percent of female Fortune 500 CEOs were once athletes. Deloitte echoes this in a 2023 survey, reporting that nearly 70 percent of women earning over six figures in leadership roles participated in competitive sports.
These numbers aren’t just impressive – they’re instructive.
Women who’ve been part of competitive teams often bring a unique blend of emotional intelligence, resilience, and strategic awareness. In basketball, every player has a role: the point guard directs, the post player protects, the rebounder resets. You win when each person understands their position and contributes with intention. Great teams don’t cross lanes – they align strengths, trust roles, and push each other toward a shared goal. That’s what makes championship teams, and it’s what makes high-performing AEC firms.
In our industry, the team dynamic is just as important as technical expertise. Project managers, architects, engineers, designers – we all play different roles, but success comes when we move as one. As a leader, I think of myself as both coach and player. I’m paying attention to how my team members thrive, what environments bring out their best, and where they want to grow their “game.” When people are aligned with what they’re good at and what they love, productivity soars.
That’s why recruiting in AEC should go beyond resumes. We should ask: does this person know how to lead under pressure? Do they know how to work in a team, take feedback, and get back up after setbacks? Female athletes know how to do all of that – because they’ve done it on the field, on the court, and now in the boardroom.
But the path for women in AEC leadership isn’t without hurdles. Research from Zweig Group’s ElevateHER® program, recently acquired by SMPS, reveals that while women make up 32 percent of engineering interns, that number drops to 16 percent at the project manager level, and only 7 percent of firm principals. Even more telling: 100 percent of the women principals surveyed had considered leaving the industry – compared to 49 percent of men. That’s a wake-up call.
Initiatives like ElevateHER® have taken actionable steps to reverse this trend. Programs like MentHERship and PromoteHER focus on mentorship and promotion equity – values that mirror the mentorship I experienced as an athlete. Support systems matter. Coaches matter. So do cultures that recognize the full value of what someone brings to the table.
Which brings me to one final point: leadership requires authenticity. Athletes bring their full selves to every game – mind, body, spirit. I believe that when we do the same in the workplace, we don’t just lead better – we live better.
My background as an athlete is one of my greatest professional assets. It shows up in how I lead, how I problem-solve, and how I build teams. I encourage others in the AEC world to recognize the hidden power of sports in shaping the leaders of tomorrow – especially the women who are ready to play at the highest level.
Let’s build teams like we build championship programs: with intention, trust, and the belief that every role, when played well, can lead us to victory.
Marcía Alvarado, PE is a structural engineer, speaker, executive coach, founder of The Alvarado Experience, and a former collegiate basketball player. Contact her at marcia@thealvaradoexperience.com.