2023 Women in Construction: Janet Tse, Northstar Project & Real Estate Services

What made you interested in seeking a career in the AEC industry? After watching Extreme Engineering’s Tokyo’s Sky City episode, I was inspired to design the world’s most signature buildings one day and started my career as a structural engineer. However, volunteering to manage a water-sourcing project for an orphanage in Zambia during a month-long break from work changed my career trajectory. In this project, I performed engineering design and led a small local team to bring clean water to the students. This experience sparked an interest in being a project facilitator and making a difference. It motivated me to shift from engineering to project management and to use my skills to bring projects from concept to completion.

What was your greatest professional achievement or most notable project in the last 12 months? As an owner’s project manager for MITIMCo, overseeing the design development of a 300,000 s/f ground-up residential tower at the Volpe redevelopment project in Kendall Sq., has been an extraordinary experience. The development project includes six mixed-use buildings sitting atop a connected underground garage, necessitating extensive collaboration among teams, including project managers, architects, engineers, consultants, and general contractors. The overall site development and ground plane activation require careful coordination among all parties involved. Exchanging ideas and working alongside over 200 real estate professionals to create a resilient, welcoming, and inclusive neighborhood is an incredible opportunity.