Gender Equity & Representation in the Construction & Design Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2017 women made up just 9% of those employed in the construction industry, and according to data from the American Institute of Architects, just over 25% of architects are women. Gender equality is a state desired by many, but at the current rate of progress, it will be 2080 before we hit parity. 
Reasons for this gender gap stem from stereotyping that guides men and women toward certain roles and professions during early childhood, to organizational cultures that can subtly undermine women and gender nonconforming employees while simultaneously providing additional opportunities to male counterparts not accessible to others. Not only are the impacts of this imbalance detrimental to people currently working in these professions, they help preserve the status quo resulting in employers losing out on talented individuals who could positively contribute to these professions and to our built environment more broadly.  
This month, the Sustainable Cities Roundtables are going back to their roots with a roundtable discussion with women working in the construction and design industry. Join us for a frank conversation in a safe space about the challenges women and gender nonconforming individuals face in their daily professional lives and what we can do at the macro and micro level to make these industries more inclusive and accessible.
Panelists
Jennifer Frey, Sellen Construction As Sustainability Program Manager of Sellen Construction, Jennifer Frey is dedicated to delivering sustainability certifications for clients, ensuring environmental compliance with project teams, and developing innovative programs with teams that protect the environment and crews. Jennifer has over 25 years of industry experience in the residential and commercial realms spanning architectural design, sustainability R&D, hammer-in-hand, construction management, green certifications, and construction activity pollution prevention. Jennifer serves on various committees for the Association of General Contractors and the General Services Administration Office of Federal High Performance Green Building’s Advisory Committee. Jennifer has helped Sellen deliver 6 LEED Platinum projects, like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, MOHAI, and King Street Station and led Sellen Construction’s effort to become a Salmon-Safe Accredited General Contractor.
Laura Soma, GLY Construction Laura is a Project Manager with GLY Construction and has 22 years of industry experience.  She is part of GLY’s Sustainability Focus Group, Co-Chair of the Cascadia Seattle Eastside Collaborative and is one of GLY’s leaders in sustainable building and LEED certification/accreditation.  Laura is an advocate for environmentally healthy building practices and actively engages with multiple sustainability groups.  Her passion for steering the construction industry towards an environmentally-sound future is grounded in her belief that it is our responsibility to care for our planet.
Leah Missik, Built Green Leah is the Program Manager of Built Green, a green home certification program in Washington State. She has overseen the program’s continued growth, conducted studies that received national attention, and collaborated on the expansion of green building incentives in the region. Leah is an alum of Leadership Tomorrow (Class of 2018) and is a Senior Fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program. She holds an MPA from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs and received her B.A. from Kenyon College in Modern Languages (Russian and German) and International Studies.
Patti Southard, King County GreenTools Patti Southard is the program manager for GreenTools green building program in King County. At King County, Patti runs the Sustainable Cities Program which focuses on coordinating all of King County’s 39 cities on built environment and climate-related policies. In addition, Patti provides technical assistance for the County’s LEED, Living Building Challenge, and Built Green initiatives. Southard was raised on her family farm and has focused her sustainable development career on the juxtaposition between rural and urban communities and planning. Southard’s personal accolades include the Built Green Pioneer Award, Cascadia Green Building Council Public Sector Leadership Award, Sustainable Cities Inspirational Leadership Award, is a Cascadia Fellow and Honorary AIA.
More speakers to be announced...
Mark your calendar - details below! 
Details:
Date/Time:  Thursday, August 9th, 12:00 – 1:30 PM
Location/Address: 12th Ave Arts, 1620 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Lunch & Learn: As a lunchtime event, you are welcome to bring lunch to enjoy during the Roundtable.
Directions:
By Bus: Routes 8, 9, 11, 12, and 49 all stop within a few blocks of 12th Ave Arts. The Link light rail Capitol Hill station is also only a few blocks away. See Metro’s Trip Planner to map out your transit options.
By Car or Carpool:
Driving from the south (going north) via Interstate-5:

Take I-5 exit 166 to merge onto Olive Way.
Merge onto Olive Way and then turn right onto Melrose Ave.
Turn left onto E Pine St, then turn left onto 12th Ave. The building is on the right.

Driving from the north (going south) via I-5:

Take I-5 exit 168A for Boylston Ave toward Roanoke St.
Merge onto Boylston Ave E, then turn left onto E Roanoke St.
Turn right onto 10th Ave E, then left onto E Aloha St.
Turn right onto 12th Ave. The building is on the left.