News

Event Recap: Women in A/E/C Leadership

On November 12, SMPS-OC put on our Women in AEC Leadership Roundtable Event at Twenty Eight Restaurant in Irvine, CA. Over 60 individuals across the AEC Industry in OC and other areas took part in this sold-out event to listen and engage with these industry-changing women. 

Anne Bretaña (Gensler), Christine Arbogast (Tetra Tech), Donna Bloom-Crook (HDR), Jamie Lai (City of Yorba Linda), Julie Lyons (OCPW), and Melissa Dugan (City of Irvine) were the featured speakers, inspiring attendees through the experiences they shared on rising through their respective ranks, the challenges they endured, and ultimately how they navigated those challenges to where they are today in their careers. 

Attendees were able to ask an assortment of personal questions due to the intimacy of the roundtable format, not typical of a panel format. A big takeaway from the event was how successful the roundtable format was from an engagement standpoint and a nice break from panel formatted events.