Hosted in celebration Women’s History Month, the office gathered in reflection and celebration at our “Women in A&E” Q&A panel. We had the honor of hosting industry leaders including Melissa Teichman, Vice President, Healthcare at OAC Services, Molly Wolf, Principal and Healthcare Market Leader at NBBJ, and Rhonda Pollard, Business Development. They shared their career inspirations, challenges, and advice for those rising up in the industry.
Key Takeaways:
- Show up as your whole self and advocate for others, so we can create an environment where everyone feels empowered to do the same.
Melissa Teichman shared that to do her best work, she needs to show up as her whole self. For her, trying to be “one of the boys” isn’t the answer. She emphasized the importance of calling people in, and how it’s especially powerful for men to address sexist behaviors. She recalled a meeting on constructions site where a leader used the term “man-hours”, and how it was awesome that a male colleague who spoke up, advocating for the use of “people-hours”, a term that actually reflected the demographics on site. She highlighted other common experiences, such as being asked to take notes because women are perceived as “good at it” or pointlessly gendered things on site, like pink hard hats and port-a-potties. - Constantly Self-Reflect, Push for Change
Molly Wolf talked about how we all have biases and how it’s important to recognize how they shape our interactions. Checking yourself and understanding your own biases is key to doing your part in pushing the industry forward—that’s the individual step. All the panelists stressed the importance of engaging in gender equity initiatives, such as parental leave for both mothers and fathers, equal leave for same-gender parents, and advocating within your company and community for these initiatives. They agreed that active engagement, regardless of your background, is the path to progress in the industry. - Harness the power of mentors
Rhonda Pollard emphasized the importance of having mentors and career coaches throughout her career. She highlighted the value of having mentors both similar to and different from herself, as this provides access to a broader range of perspectives.
Happy Women’s History Month and thank you to our incredible panelists for joining us and sharing their wisdom.
