2023 ElevateHER® Symposium

ElevateHER® Symposium

DALLAS, TX | February 15, 2023
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How does ElevateHER ensure underrepresented demographics find success in the AEC industry?

By serving as an advisor and a hub of information and resources, our movement hopes to bring us together to elevate the industry. We believe that with inclusion and strategic steps, we can work together to advance the future of firms across the United States because we believe that diversity brings about positive change.ElevateHER is an initiative to better the future of the AEC Industry.

Founded by the Zweig Group, it is a commitment to embrace, promote, and ensure equal opportunities for everyone in the AEC industry regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

7:30 - 8:30am
Registration & Breakfast
8:30 - 9:00am
Welcome and ElevateHER program overview

With Jamie Claire Kiser – Director of Advisory Services at Zweig Group, Co-founder of ElevateHER

9:00 - 9:30am
ElevateHER ZTalk: Advance Your Career: Designing a BOLD Career Playbook Today for a Successful Tomorrow

With Bolanle Williams Olley - Chief Financial Officer and Co-Owner, Mancini Duffy

Women still face many barriers navigating their path to senior level positions, in fact the first barrier can be traced back to their entry-level promotion. In this session, Bolanle will share her perspective on how women can overcome this promotional gap by taking control of their own future and developing a career playbook for success. Using her B.O.L.D. framework, she will help women shift their mindsets, maximize their potential and take action to advance their careers.

9:30 - 10:00am
Game-Changer Mini Workshop: Ideas to Action
10:00 - 10:15am
Break
10:15 - 10:45 am
ElevateHER Alumni Presents: WeAreAEC

WeAreAEC aims to expand the awareness of the AEC industry within the general public through imagery and subsequently reinforce the premise that people from
many different walks of life can find fulfillment within these careers.

Presenter: Karen Purcell, Misela Gonzales-Vandewalle, and Christina Turner
Team Members: Amanda Prosser, Christina Turner, Karen Purcell, Kim Pham, Misela Gonzales-Vandewalle, and Nicole M. Dress
Karen Purcell

10:45 - 11:15 am
ElevateHER ZPanel: Leading with Data

With Christy Zweig Niehues, Co-founder of ElevateHER® & Kyle Ahern, Employee Experience & Data Strategist, Zweig Group

11:15 - 11:45 am
ElevateHER ZTalk: Your Best Asset is YOU

With Colleen Martindale - Sr. Preconstruction Director, McCarthy

In 2022, women represent 11% of the construction industry (Bureau of labor statistics).  The numbers are a bit better in architecture and engineering (39% and 21% respectively), but women are still substantially under-represented, and particularly in senior leadership.  As a woman, you’re going to stand out, for better or for worse.  Colleen is here to show you how to take advantage of that attention, use the qualities that come naturally to women, your unique story, and your genuine self to lead and thrive in an industry built for, and around, men.

11:45- 12:45 pm
Networking Lunch
12:45 - 1:15 pm
ElevateHER Alumni Presents: DRIVE

DRIVE stands for Diversity, Real, Inclusivity, Value, and Equity.
Our industry holds the key to creating the built environment that is representative of the communities that we serve. In striving to serve these communities the best way we can, it is imperative that we uphold best practices. Team DRIVE is committed to building a certificate program that recognizes efforts and success, measures inclusion adequately and strives for continued advancement of inclusive projects to meet the needs of our diverse 21st century world.

Presenter: Jennifer Ridd and Maryanne Wachter
Team Members: Andrea Dumont, Jennifer Ridd, Mary Heath, Maryanne Wachter, Shannon Acevado, and Thy Daniels

1:15- 2:15 pm
ElevateHER ZPanel: Parenting in the Workplace

Panelists:
Jessica Taylor- Senior Corporate Recruiter at UNANET
Halima K. McWilliams- Associate Principal, HR Operations & Culture, Corgan
Heather Calvert- Chief Operating Officer, CORE Consultants, Inc

Panel Moderator: Lisa Huddleston- Talent Development & HR Director, BHC 

2:15 - 2:30 pm
Break
2:30 - 3:00 pm
ElevateHER Alumni Presents: Team TeacHER

Many AEC firms are struggling to hire due to a shrinking workforce. In addition, there is a lack of awareness and interest about the AEC field in K-12 students. The TeacHER group is hoping to combat this challenge by creating resources for AEC professionals to go out into K-12 classrooms and after-school programs and get students excited about the opportunities in the AEC industry. Our goal is to provide our local communities the educational resources to how to build a positive future through available opportunities in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry.

Presenter: Laurel Stone
Team Members: Andi Vicksman Godfroy, Anne Brummett, Brittney Boyle, Jennifer Llop-Noy, Laurel Stone, and Michelle Huber

3:00 - 3:30 pm
Game-Changer Mini Workshop: Bringing Home the Buy-in
3:30 - 4:00pm
ElevateHER ZTalk: Leverage our Trailblazing Community & Letter to Yourself

With Mallory Lindgren - Senior Vice President, Market Development, Westwood

ElevateHER® represents a community of trailblazers - united in our commitment to improve diversity in the AEC industry. How can we leverage this connection to its fullest extent to make progress, elevate each other, and keep going? We will write letters to ourselves that will serve as future reminders of what we wanted to take away from the event and what we hope to accomplish.

4:00 - 4:15 pm
Closing Remarks

With Jamie Claire Kiser

4:30 - 6:00 pm
Networking Social + Optional walking tour of Deep Ellum

With Marvin L. Jackson - Lead Consultant and Founder, McCoy Lewis

6:30 pm
Optional Dine-Arounds

Meet other attendees over dinner. No agenda, just make new friends while exploring a local restaurant. Sign up here.

2023 ElevateHER® SYMPOSIUM SPEAKERS

Bolanle Williams-Olley
Chief Financial Officer and Co-Owner
About The Speaker
Christy Zweig Niehues
Director of Research & E-commerce, Co-founder of ElevateHER initiative
About The Speaker
Colleen Martindale
Sr. Preconstruction Director
About The Speaker
Halima McWilliams
Associate Principal, HR Operations & Culture
About The Speaker
Heather Calvert
Chief Operating Officer
About The Speaker
Jamie Claire Kiser
Managing Principal & Director of Advisory Services, Co-founder of ElevateHER initiative
About The Speaker
Jennifer Ridd
Principal
About The Speaker
Jessica Taylor
Senior Corporate Recruiter
About The Speaker
Karen Purcell
President
About The Speaker
Kyle Ahern
Employee Experience and Data Strategist
About The Speaker
Laurel Stone
Founding Principal
About The Speaker
Lisa Huddleston
Talent Development & HR Director
BHC
About The Speaker
Mallory Lindgren
Senior Vice President, Market Development
About The Speaker
Marvin L. Jackson
Lead Consultant and Founder
About The Speaker
Maryanne Wachter
Software Engineer
About The Speaker

Thank you to our 2023 sponsors!

Friends of ElevateHER