This Women’s History Month, Mead & Hunt proudly celebrates the tenacity of our own women employees and their invaluable impact on our firm and the AEC industry.
“There’s a level of courage needed to try something new and forge an untested path,” says Marilen Driscoll, Talent Development Director at Mead & Hunt, referring to the many women who have approached her and her HR colleagues to create or change professional roles to better resonate with their interests. “We empower people to take ownership of their learning, take ownership of their development, and say, ‘What do you want to do and where do you want to go?’”
This foundation of empowerment is embedded in the firm’s history and culture, and Marilen’s own experience lays testament to that. In her 25-year tenure at Mead & Hunt, Marilen traversed multiple positions, moving from technical editor in Marketing to her pioneering position in Human Resources. She explains the process of aligning passion and talent with each new position:
“It’s the employee’s desire to do something different, but then there’s also this company sponsorship of entrepreneurship,” she explains. This mutually beneficial partnership empowers women to carve out their own path, inspiring others and resulting in firm-wide success.
Meet Lalitha Benjaram and Anita Cobb – two Mead & Hunt employees who started in conventional roles and have since blazed their own trails under newly created positions, aligning the firm’s goals and needs with their own talents and passions.
Starting out as an engineer, Lalitha carved out her own path and is now Mead & Hunt’s first Inclusion and Belonging Program Manager. She leads sessions on inclusion, creates opportunities for employees to connect, increases support for employees from underrepresented groups, and focuses on diversifying the Mead & Hunt talent pipeline.
“For me, empowerment comes through representation,” says Lalitha. “It’s powerful to see a diverse Mead & Hunt team that reflects the communities we serve.”
Anita’s path started in administration, and she is now the Market Leader for Civic Strategies in Mead & Hunt’s Aviation group.
“Advocating for the unique needs of historically underserved groups is its own form of empowerment,” says Anita. “I’ve forged this path to unapologetically fight for universal standards, and now I get to do it every day.”
The glass ceiling continues to shatter as Amy Squitieri recently became our firm’s first woman Chief Operations Officer (COO).
“I’m happy to see that there’s more women in leadership positions now,” Marilen reflects. “Years ago, we felt like the representation wasn’t there. But our representation has grown, and it’s welcomed firm-wide.”
*This blog post is brought to you by an all-women team, from brainstorming to execution to the person who clicked “post.” It’s amazing what happens when empowered women do what they love and are supported in pursuing their passions.
