Tinker and Morley named recipients of Professional Women in Construction - Connecticut Chapter awards

Nancy Tinker, director of facilities management and planning at Eastern Connecticut State University, was named the recipient of the third annual "Woman of Accomplishment" award by Professional Women in Construction - Connecticut Chapter (PWC-CT). The award was presented to Tinker on April 3rd in a ceremony held during a PWC-CT monthly meeting and professional development program at the Marriott. During the same ceremony, Alexis Morley-Lyons, project manager for Bartlett Brainard Eacott, Inc. was named the recipient of this year's PWC-CT "Woman on the Rise" award. PWC-CT supports education in the fields of architecture, construction and engineering, and recognizes ongoing professional excellence with these two annual awards. The "Woman of Accomplishment" award is designed to honor a woman who has been working in the A/E/C industry for at least 15 years, and who exemplifies outstanding professional achievement, performance and contributions within her field of endeavor. The "Woman on the Rise" award is given each year to a promising young professional in the fields of architecture, engineering or construction. PWC-CT is a national non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization committed to advancing professional, entrepreneurial and managerial opportunities for women and other "non-traditional" populations in construction and related industries. Tinker received her B.S. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, from which she graduated Cum Laude; her master's was obtained from Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU). She has over 25 years of experience in facilities management, working previously for IBM, Georgia Institute of Technology, The Ohio State University, and the Connecticut State University System. As ECSU's Director of Facilities Management & Planning, Nancy is responsible for the regular maintenance and operations of the campus' facilities - 57 buildings and 2,247,672 gross square feet; campus and master plan development and implementation; oversight of the operational budget of over $8M; and management of a capital project budget of over $250M. Tinker has long been a proponent of sustainable design and of LEED, and is the chairman of the Green Campus Committee, which leads "Greening of Eastern," ECSU's charge for the President's Climate Commitment. Eastern has already established LEED policies for all new campus construction, adopted an Energy Star policy for purchasing of products, and begun purchasing or producing at least 15% of the institution's electricity consumption from renewable sources. Tinker has a long history of community involvement, serving on school boards, building committees, professional association committees and executive boards. Recently, she was elected to the Board of Education in the Town of Windham. Jessica Samios, director of business development for Fuss & O'Neill EnviroScience, LLC and a member of the PWC-CT Board of Directors, says "Nancy Tinker is the epitome of the Woman of Accomplishment in our industry. Overall, Nancy is an example to women and men in construction, constantly demonstrating her organizational and interpersonal skills and her desire to provide the students and staff of Eastern (and now Windham) with a state-of-the-art, clean, and well-maintained environment in which to learn, work and play." Lyons, the 2012 "Woman on the Rise", has worked in project management for six years. In that time, she has been responsible for managing a very complex project at a Fortune 100 company in Hartford, CT, and a capital improvements project for three schools with a total project budget of over $2 million which she delivered 6% under budget. Steve Andrea, her colleague at Bartlett Brainard Eacott, Inc., says "Alexis has developed into a very strong administrator. She is fluent in developing budgets, scheduling, and in communicating with subcontractors. She always has a positive attitude, and is a real asset to our firm." Founded in 1980, Professional Women in Construction is a national non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization committed to advancing professional, entrepreneurial and managerial opportunities for women and other "non-traditional" populations in construction and related industries. Members of the PWC-CT represent all major disciplines within our industry, and are drawn from Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. PWC-CT programs present the latest industry topics, and provide networking and business development opportunities for members and guests. Membership is open to women and men, private companies and public agencies actively engaged in the design/construction/real estate development fields, and businesses supplying goods and services to the industry.