ELEVATE HER 2023
Fueling Change through Community: a Look Inside ElevateHER 2023
By Luke Carothers
The 2023 ElevateHER Symposium and Kickoff Event took place on February 15th-17th in the sun-drenched Parker Ballroom in Dallas, Texas. Located in Dallas’ Deep Ellum neighborhood, this historic structure was designed by William Sidney Pittman who was the state’s first practicing Black architect. A spot for Dallas nightlife in the early 20th century, the Parker Ballroom at the Kimpton Pittman hotel once rang loud with some of America’s most influential musicians at the turn of the 20th century. More than a century later, those same halls rang not with the crooning of musicians but with the voices of women and men seeking to positively influence change in the AEC industry. Over the course of the three-day event, new cohort members were immersed in interactive workshops and speeches from AEC industry professionals. By the end of the event, these new cohort members would find community and shared passions, forming into teams that would set out to change the AEC industry for the better. The 2023 ElevateHER Cohort’s first experience in the program was framed by inspiring voices from almost every corner of the AEC industry. The first keynote speaker–Bolanle Williams-Olley–set the stage for the week’s event, urging those in the room to think boldly about themselves and their careers. Bolanle Williams-Olley, who is Mancini Duffy’s CFO and co-owner, spoke from experience, sharing
the events that shaped her life and career. The first keynote speaker fielded questions from the audience, asking the assembled audience of new cohort members, speakers, and current ElevateHER members what their biggest barrier is. Their responses–pay, gender bias, lack of representation–would frame not only the rest of the first keynote speech, but the conversations that would take place and the plans that would ultimately be made. Williams-Olley used the Broken Rung metaphor to describe the culmination of these experiences. These experiences are also reflected in current statistics which indicate for every 100 men promoted only 87 women are promoted and 82 women of color. Williams-Olley believes that one of the first steps towards mending this broken rung is understanding that its foundation of a linear career path is not always possible or desirable. In reimagining the broken rung, Williams-Olley believes that the missing space can be filled with an interconnected web of community and support. With this image she urged the crowd to think about the webs of community in which they already exist, ending on a call to think boldly about their own potential as well as the potential of other women in their communities. The second keynote speaker was Colleen Martindale, who is Preconstruction Director at McCarthy. Martindale surveyed the room of AEC industry’s progress as it relates to other industries, sketching
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Elevate AEC 2023
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