Career Strategy for Underrepresented Women Engineers in AEC Industry

The Career Nobody Told You Was Possible

Jean Malafrante went to Mexico in college to build schools, and couldn't drink the water. That moment launched a 20+ year career in environmental engineering, a managing director role she never planned for, and eventually a consulting firm she built from a single contract in her first 60 days. She joins Michele to talk about asking for the work nobody else wanted, learning the business before she needed it, and why the engineers who will lead the next generation aren't the ones solving the technical problem; they're the ones who understand the people in the room.

Built to Fail: The Infrastructure Mistakes No One Talks About Until It's Too Late

Most people flip on a light switch or plug in their EV and never think twice about how that power got there. Dr. Richard Ezike has spent his career at the intersection of policy, technology, and workforce  across the Department of Energy, EPA, Department of Transportation, and Argonne National Laboratory and he's here to tell you everything that had to go right (and often goes very wrong) before that charger works. In this episode, Michele and Richard break down EV charging infrastructure from the ground up the three levels of charging, why half the stations you find on a map might be down, and what the federal government actually did to try to fix it. They get into cost overruns on major projects, how public utility commissions set your electric rates, who shows up to those meetings (and who doesn't), and what it costs communities when companies build at them instead of with them. Plus: what young engineers should be learning right now to stay employable in a shifting energy landscape and why hands-on training will never be replaced by a Zoom course.

Beyond the Grind: Rethinking Promotions, Feedback, and Culture in AEC

This episode features Heather Calvert, Chief Operating Officer at CORE, sharing how her firm intentionally centers people, equity, and psychological safety while still delivering complex projects on time and on budget. Heather walks through CORE’s journey from scrappy startup to “thirteen‑year‑old teenager” firm, including the painful inflection points of rapid COVID‑era growth and what they had to redesign to truly scale. She dives into their equity‑driven promotion and feedback systems, explaining how crowd‑sourced input and collaborative performance conversations help reduce bias and burnout.    Heather also unpacks the delivery pressures facing AEC firms today and why real‑time communication, trust‑building with clients, and developing engineers’ soft skills are just as critical as technical excellence. Throughout the conversation, she offers practical examples leaders can use to build cultures where people feel safe speaking up, learning from misalignment, and actually “living their core” at work.

The Engineering Talent Risk AEC Leaders Ignore

What happens when workforce strategy quietly becomes your biggest delivery risk? In this episode of Dear Corner Office, Michele Heyward sits down with Chris Ross, HR leader, industry insider, and PositiveHire advisor, who recruited her into the AEC industry nearly 20 years ago. Together, they unpack how engineering and architecture firms used to manage talent, what was lost along the way, and why leadership behavior has become one of the most underestimated risks in today’s firms. From the shift to skills-based hiring, to what exit interviews are really saying, to why hybrid work has exposed long-standing leadership gaps, this conversation makes one thing clear: people don’t leave organizations, they leave experiences. If you’re a firm leader, HR executive, or project delivery leader navigating retention challenges, talent shortages, or rising delivery pressure, this episode will sound uncomfortably familiar and deeply relevant.

Career Strategy for Underrepresented Women Engineers in AEC Industry

Join us for a thought-provoking session led by industry thought leader, where we will delve into the essential components of a powerful career strategy designed specifically for underrepresented women in the AEC industry. Michele will identify and explore 3-5 strategic steps that are crucial for navigating the complex landscape of racial and gender barriers often faced by underrepresented women professionals in AEC. She will draw upon their extensive experience and expertise to shed light on practical approaches that can empower women to overcome obstacles and achieve their career goals. Listeners will gain valuable knowledge and actionable takeaways to implement in their own career strategies, helping them overcome systemic barriers and create paths to success.