Celebrating Women In Construction In Memory of Patricia Lucas Smith
COMPANY CHIX DIG IT Celebrating Women In Construction In Memory of Patricia Lucas Smith JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE "CHIX DIGGING IT" IN CONSTRUCTION. THIS EVENT WILL FEATURE INSPIRING STORIES, NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES, AND SUPPORTIVE PANELS. DATE: MARCH 28, 2024 TIME: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM HTTPS://BIT.LY/3VBFNUO Location: Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club (3001 Cameron Blvd Durham, NC 27705)
PROGRAM CELEBRATING WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION EVENT PROGRAM WELCOME Dr. Kimberly Sowell - Durham County Manager OPENING INTRODUCTION Danyelle Bryant – Executive Assistant; County Manager Office BREAKING BARRIERS: PAVING THE WAY FOR WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION MODERATOR Priscilla Williams – City of Raleigh PANELISTS Brenda Bright - Durham County Jordan Wilma - Durham Public Schools Jina Propst – City of Durham BUILDING BRIDGES: EMPOWERING WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION THROUGH SUPPLIER DIVERSITY MODERATOR Denisha G. Harris - City of Cary PANELISTS Angela Carter, Metcon Construction Denise Barnes, LeChase Construction Lissette Velez, Hispanic Contractors Association of the Carolinas LUNCH GUEST SPEAKER INTRODUCTION Cheryl Sutton - North Carolina Lottery GUEST SPEAKER C h r y s t a l S t o w e - S m o o t C o n s t r u c t i o n C o ., V i c e P r e s i d e n t CLOSING REMARKS TAMMIE HALL - ASSISTANT COUNTY MANAGER NETWORKING STAY CONNECTED
Moderator Priscilla Williams – City of Raleigh Priscilla Tyree Williams, P.E., is the City Construction Projects Administrator for the City of Raleigh. She is responsible for the implementation of the City’s capital improvement program for public safety and special projects. The Construction Management Division – Public Safety & Special Projects team includes architects and engineers who provide comprehensive project development and management of vertical projects from the identification of building program needs through construction including the one-year postconstruction warranty period. She earned a BS in Civil Engineering from Syracuse University and is a licensed Professional Engineer. She also holds a MS in Leadership and Organizational Change from Pfeiffer University. Panelists Brenda Bright - Durham County Brenda Hayes-Bright, is a Project Manager for Durham County Government Engineering Department. Brenda currently manages approximately $80 million dollars of County Capital Improvement Projects, serving the county and community stakeholders as the Owners representative. In her role, she is responsible for organizing the work of Construction Managers, Architects, Engineers, and other project consultants, while interfacing with other County departments and Stakeholders. Brenda leverages her 20+ years of experience in the Architectural sector to enhance her ability to meet the needs of the community and bring construction projects to completion keeping them on time and on budget. She was the lead project manager for the Durham County Main Library Renovation project completed in 2020 and is currently the lead Project Manager for the Durham County Board of Elections South Roxboro Street Renovation project. Jordan Wilma - Durham Public Schools Wilma Jordan is the Director of Construction and Capital Planning & Sustainability for Durham Public Schools. She is responsible for the areas of Design, Construction, Sustainability and Project Management of schools and facilities for Durham Public Schools. Wilma’s responsibilies include Construcon and Capital Planning, the selecon of designers and contractors for projects. She also has oversight of the Energy Management/Sustainability and HUB Outreach/Reporting Programs for Durham Public Schools. Wilma believes in giving back and is a Youth Advisor at her Church, she’s served on committees for the Albemarle Electric Coop and was associated with being a member EletriCities for many years.
Jina Propst serves as the director of the City of Durham General Services Department. Jina was appointed in January 2020, previously working within the department for 15 years. Prior to appointment as director, Jina served as assistant director for Project Delivery and Sustainability with the Department since 2013. As director, Jina is responsible for leading a department of 124 employees and managing an $18 million annual budget. General Services Department’s core functions include acquisition and sale of properties; oversight of community facilities (such as the Durham Convention Center); design and management of new construction and renovation projects; building maintenance; landscaping and urban forestry services; cemeteries management; sustainability and energy management; cultural and public art program management and supporting the nonprofit Keep Durham Beautiful. General Services manages capital improvement projects valued at $170 million. The General Services Department is focused on building and maintaining city properties to make Durham a great place to live, work, and play. Building Bridges: Empowering Women in Construction through Supplier Diversity Moderator Denisha G. Harris - City of Cary Denisha has over 15 years in local government finance and diversity program development. Currently, she serves as the Town of Cary Assistant Finance Director and Business Inclusion Officer, developing Cary’s first business inclusion program. Her acumen in inclusion and MWBE programs earned her the opportunity to teach various courses at the UNC School of Government, the NC Office for Historically Underutilized Businesses, and the North Carolina Association of Governmental Purchasing. She has served with the NC MWBE Coordinators’ Network for over a decade in various capacities, including as the current President. The Network and UNC have developed a course called Minority Participation Programs and Public Contracting, the cornerstone to the Network’s Certified Economic Inclusion Officer (CEIO) credential.
Angela Carter, Metcon Construction Angela began her construction career over 28 yearsago working for a large General Contractor in NC. During her tenure there, she learned the business and operations from the ground up, creating a niche for herselfin marketing and business development. In addition, Angela had her own consulting firm for 10 years, providing strategic planning, marketingand business development coaching and services for the A/E/C industry. Her experience includes working with developers, architects, engineers, and general contractors in the business development realm. Her role at Metcon includes overseeing all strategic planning, business development, marketing, diversity and inclusion program, workforce development initiatives, communications and public relations. Since joining Metcon 6 years ago, her leadership in culture development, strategic planning, and developing new clients has resulted in Metcon’s growing footprint across NC, and the strongest backlog in the history of the company of $900m+. Denise Barnes, LeChase Construction Denise has eighteen years of experience in the construction industry with extensive experience in construction administration and diversity management. As Regional Director of Community Engagement and Inclusion, Denise focuses on development and implementation of all community initiatives, making impactful connections, building, and preserving relationships, ensuring compliance, and promoting an inclusive vendor community. She uses her voice and expertise to discover and share opportunities for women and minority-owned businesses and supports them in preparing to grow their capacity. She has a passion for helping others and has been recognized both internally and externally for her genuine efforts. She has completed her Master Compliance Administrator (MCA) credentials and hold board seats and memberships with many local organizations. Denise graduated from Shaw University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. She received a Master of Business Administration with a Human Resources concentration from Pfeiffer University. Lissette Velez, Hispanic Contractors Association of the Carolinas Lissette Velez, originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador, has found her home in North Carolina since 2007. With over thirteen years of experience in the construction industry and a small business owner since 2020, Lissette brings a wealth of knowledge and dedication to her role as Executive Director of the Hispanic Contractors Association of the Carolinas. Lissette's influence extends beyond her role at HCAC. She has served on various committees in Charlotte, Durham, and the Triangle area, advocating for the interests of small businesses throughout the Carolinas. Since her college days, Lissette has been a steadfast supporter of minority contractors, earning recognition with prestigious awards such as Charlotte Business Journal's 40 under 40 and various Advocate of the Year awards.
Introduction Cheryl Sutton - North Carolina Lottery For over 20 years, Dr. Cheryl Sutton has worked as an advocate supporting the utilization of minority and diverse owned businesses in public and private sectors. She has mastered relationship building and uses this skill as a powerful conduit to provide assistance and resources to minority firms throughout North Carolina. She is a proud HBCU graduate, receiving both her undergraduate and master’s degrees from Hampton University. She also holds certificates from Leadership Wilmington, Leadership North Carolina XVII, Construction Management (NCSU) and in 2016, she earned her doctorate degree in Organizational Leadership. Sutton joined the North Carolina Education Lottery in September of 2022 as the Director of Supplier Diversity and Outreach. In this role, her responsibilities are to lead the development of supplier diversity strategies, enhance processes, and advance the goal of inclusivity throughout the organization. The lottery strives to ensure that minority-owned businesses are aware of the business opportunities resulting from its sales and marketing operations and know how to compete for them. Keynote Speaker Chrystal Stowe - Smoot Construction Co., Vice President Chrystal Stowe is responsible for leading and managing strategic community alliances and client engagement for Smoot Construction Company of Washington DC, a successful construction company in the highly competitive National capital region. She manages the Marketing/Communication and Subcontractor/Workforce Diversity programs. Chrystal has over twenty-five years of experience in the construction industry and this former TV news anchor has fifteen years of media, public relations and community affairs experience.
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