Gems From a Fireside Chat with Women in AEC

On March 8th, in celebration of International Women’s Day and Women-in-Construction week within the context of Women-in-History month, DAHLIN held a fireside chat with some of our talented employees representing all levels of career development and areas of focus: Carmen Gabriel , Erica DiCioccio, AIA, LEED AP BD C , Norah Swift , Stephanie Fujimura , and Tanequa Cummings with the discussion moderated by Shikha Subramanian . A few gems they shared with us, in their own words as they speak to leadership, advocacy, industry opportunities, and growth:

“I surround myself with people who support me, which helped my confidence through my journey. I believe that I can do anything, and having that mindset is vital to where I am today because I feel if you are not thinking in a positive way, your actions will show it.” – Tanequa Cummings

“A leadership quality I believe is important is being present. If you show up for someone, instantly people will feel they’re here for me. As someone who is new to my career, when my project manager is present for me, that’s a huge boost to me and will turn into qualities that I also possess as a leader.” – Norah Swift

“From societal or cultural norms or whatever you think you can’t do or you’ve been told you can’t do, let that go.” – Erica DiCioccio, AIA, LEED AP BD C

“I would love to see more women out in the field. I would love to see the value that women bring to that table recognized rather than dismissed as soft skills. I would like to see that bias change.” – Stephanie Fujimura

“I recognize my peers, their achievements from small to big, as a means of advocating for them. Also, to be there for them when they’re struggling.” – Carmen Gabriel

During this month of celebrating the accomplishments of women from across time who demonstrated their agency and competence, often within contexts that sought to limit them, the stories the women at DAHLIN shared were inspiring. Even recently, at A+E leadership conferences, very few CEOs in attendance are women – a deficit that is particularly notable in mid to large size firms. Our industry has a lot of work to do, and I know each of these women are helping to push us forward, pursuing and expecting more, and they’re not alone. I cannot say it better than our moderator, Shikha Subramanian , “It’s such an honor working with such a strong group of women at this company every day. It’s one of my favorite things that we do here and it’s just who we are.”