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OPINION
Marcía Alvarado attending 2025 NCAA Final Four events.
The leadership advantage
From the court to the C-suite, female athletes bring discipline, drive, and dynamic leadership to the AEC industry.
E very 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.
Marcía Alvarado, PE
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.
See MARCÍA ALVARADO, page 4
THE ZWEIG LETTER APRIL 14, 2025, ISSUE 1581
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