Boston, MA The Boston Chapter of Professional Women in Construction (PWC), a national organization dedicated to promoting women and diversity in the construction industry, celebrated four outstanding women at its inaugural Awards Gala. Over 100 architecture, engineering, and construction professionals joined PWC Boston on October 19th to celebrate the industry and, in particular, the achievements of the four award winners. Long-time WCVB anchor and reporter Susan Wornick led the ceremonies, presenting the following awards:
Rising Star: Erin Popa, associate principal, BR+A.
Excellence in Mentorship: Keri DiLeo, vice president, Scalora Consulting Group
Volunteer of the Year: Kaija Peterson, estimator, Structure Tone
Woman of Achievement: Kelly Bliss, associate principal/executive director of Northeast business development & strategy, EYP/Page.
PWC Boston’s Awards Gala was developed to celebrate the professionals who are leading the way for women and a more diverse workforce in the AEC community in the region and beyond. The gala was held at the Artists for Humanity EpiCenter. AFH provides art and design opportunities for under-resourced teens, and the awards themselves were artwork created by AFH artists. All vendors for the event, from catering and dessert by Gourmet Caterers and Caked Boston to flowers and entertainment by The Centerpiece Flower Shop and Maddi Ryan, were local woman or minority-owned businesses.
“We are so proud to celebrate our award winners and the progress our industry has made in being more inclusive of hard-working AEC professionals from all backgrounds,” said Caitlyn Angelini, Partner at AKF Group and president of PWC Boston. “The gala was a blast, and we’re excited that we have set a precedent to continue this celebration of our community year after year.”
Sponsors for the inaugural PWC Boston Award Gala included:
Gala sponsor: Dellbrook|JKS
Cocktail sponsor: Ameresco
Partner sponsors: Stantec, AHA Consulting Engineers, Vantage Builders, Inc., Omnilite|Illuminate, TRIA, Inc., Finish Installation of New England, and Lavallee Brensinger Architects
Associate sponsor: B+AC Structural Engineers
Photobooth sponsor: ELLANA, Inc
