2026 Women in Construction: Maria McDonnell, NV5

Emerging challenge or opportunity ahead: Emerging technology is playing a key role in shaping how a project evolves from design through construction. As with any advancement, there is always a price to pay. In this case, the price is compressed schedules, particularly during design. Long gone are the days when you drafted a project with ink on mylar using a Leroy lettering tool and drafting board, printed the drawings on an ammonia ladened blueprint machine and drove them to the Architect’s office for contractors to pick up for bid. The time that was spent getting a project out the door has been reduced to hitting the send button.

Advice for women starting their careers: Having a good mentor during your early career is critical. I was fortunate to have a master electrician take me under his wing from the beginning of my career as an electrical engineer. The 5 years that I spent with him were monumental in my development. He took me to sites during all phases of construction so that I could see how systems were installed. He took me into existing buildings and asked me to draw what I saw in electric rooms. That process has become a valuable tool not only in documentation of existing conditions but in understanding how equipment and systems are interconnected.

Share one fun or unexpected detail about yourself that colleagues might not know. My first career goal was to become a ballerina. Now that I’m able to work remotely, I have time to take ballet classes again!