2020 Women in Construction: Karen Orf, Chief Financial Officer at Siena Construction Corp.

What trends are you seeing in your field this year? When I joined the construction industry 25 years ago, women held a minority of positions in administrative roles only. While a gender gap still exists, it’s been exciting to see more women in construction in leadership roles in the office and field. Siena has always been a pioneer in the industry in this regard; today, women at Siena represent over 30% of our project management staff. It’s important for women to have female mentors in leadership roles, and the support and initiatives of professional organizations such as NAWIC, PWC, and AGC BWIC are helping build a better workforce for all.

When I’m not working…I am the immediate past president, treasurer, and ongoing member of the grant review team for the Lexington Education Foundation (LEF), a local nonprofit foundation raising funds for teacher grants. This is when my not-so-secret love of Google began. I immersed myself in the Google suite of products to help set up systems for LEF and our high school football boosters club to make these nonprofits more efficient and create continuity with an ever-changing volunteer base. My favorite thing to do, however, is to spend time with my family, especially my five terrific grandchildren (ages 1-10).

Who or what inspired you to join the construction industry? I’m not sure if I chose construction or construction chose me! Over the years, I held a variety of jobs: Administrative in my father’s construction inspection business, customer service, accounting, and even a residential contractor’s apprentice. My accounting and construction knowledge led to a stint as an owner’s representative for a biotech renovation (where Siena was the GC). I was so impressed with the people and the way they ran the job, in 1997, when I was offered a position at Siena, I made the move. The people were (and are!) incredible, and I’ve never looked back! 

What are you doing differently in 2020 that has had a positive impact on your career? Two personal and professional goals are to continue to learn new things and be open to change. I’ve been blessed with the benefit of working for a company that understands and values the importance of family and the challenges of balancing home and work life, especially with young children. In 2020, with my baby off to college next year, I have more availability to be involved and participate in finance, construction, and risk management trade organizations and events. These opportunities to network and hear lessons learned and best practices from other professionals increase my knowledge and effectiveness at work.

What was your greatest professional achievement or most notable project in the last 12 months? The project that has taken most of my time over the past year may not typically fall under the umbrella of CFO, but wearing many hats is one reason it’s so amazing to work at Siena! In addition to the day-to-day financial management and oversight, for the past nine months, I led the implementation, integration, and transition to Procore (online project management software). This was a significant change involving every Siena employee. I’m incredibly proud of our team; everyone truly embraced learning the new system and contributed to redefining company SOPs, all at a time of tremendous growth!