What are the most important factors women in your industry should consider when choosing a firm to build their career with? It’s important to work for a firm that challenges you yet offers tools for success. AHA hired me out of college, not knowing much about HVAC besides concepts learned in thermodynamics, heat transfer, etc. Experienced colleagues invested time in training me. When they felt I was ready for my own projects, they encouraged me to do so. That helped me build confidence!

Who inspires you most? What qualities do they possess that inspire you? There are several partners in my workplace that have inspired me over the years. I learn a lot from speaking with them and hearing their abundance of knowledge on all things HVAC. I aspire to have their experience someday while demonstrating the same humility they do.

Why should this nominee be recognized in our Women in Commercial Real Estate Spotlight?  “Anita has shown great improvement in her engineering abilities, understanding of HVAC systems, attention to detail, collaborating with our clients and other project team members. She has successfully completed some very large and complicated projects. She is well deserving of being in the spotlight.” - Karen Rice, Senior Associate, Director of Business Development at AHA Consulting Engineers, Inc.

What recent project, transaction, or accomplishment are you most proud of? A project I’ve recently worked on is 440 Bedford St. in Lexington, Mass. It’s a 335,000 s/f, six-story lab/office core & shell high rise. The roof and mechanical penthouse spaces house six custom AHUs, cooling towers, chillers, etc. The building is also equipped with air source heat pumps along with boilers which allow for a hybrid heating plant, a great step towards electrification. It’s currently under construction and targeting completion in the summer of 2024.