A Culture of Women Supporting Women
This episode is a really special one, because not only are we featuring one woman in engineering and construction, but a whole panel. Stephanie Treviño (Commercial Director), Cyndi Hanson (Senior Project Controls Manager), Stephanie Stephenson (Project Engineer I) and Grace Martinez (Field Engineer) are just a few of the women getting it done in the engineering and construction industry. They’re part of the strong culture of women supporting women at Kiewit—one of North America’s largest engineering and construction organizations. Although they come from different backgrounds and are at different points along their career journey, they share a palpable passion and enthusiasm for their work and their organization.
We cover a lot of ground in this group discussion style episode from what drew these women to the engineering and construction field, to their current roles, to what excites them most about their job, to Kiewit’s culture and active DEI efforts, and much more. You’ll hear their unique perspectives on a range of topics based on their experiences. Like how Cyndi found herself emulating those around her and learned to find her own voice to communicate in a way that is true to her authentic self. Or how Stephanie Stephenson (referred to as Steph throughout the conversation) realized she truly was the only woman on a jobsite when she showed up for the first morning stretch and flex. Or how prior to joining Kiewit, Grace had an incident where she found the women’s porta-john not only locked but being used for storage—something she never would’ve believed if it hadn’t happened to her. While Stephanie Treviño shared how she learned to embrace standing out and leveraged being an “outsider” to her advantage—as a way to avoid group think, disrupt and inject a diverse perspective.
We’re excited to share this episode packed with insights from this group of strong, confident women who make leading in a typically male-dominated field look easy. What a display of women supporting women! Listen and enjoy.
“These women out here [are] strong and independent…fearless I think is a phenomenal word for what these women are…they’re so supportive. They will have your back, they’ll be there anything you need. They got you.”
Stephanie Stephenson
About the Guests
(Back Left) Stephanie Treviño, PE PMP is a problem-solver, decision-maker and fearless communicator. She challenges the status quo and initiates difficult conversations to transform corporate cultures and build more equitable workplaces. Stephanie has been advising global Fortune 500 CEOs and executive leadership teams for 25 years and contributes to multiple public policy and nonprofit boards. She is currently a Commercial Director at Kiewit. Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn.
(Back Right) Cyndi Hanson has vast industry experience in a wide range of areas including cost and schedule development, management and maintenance for large projects, impact and recovery scheduling, schedule compression analysis, claims support, procurement tracking, contract change controls, vendor deliverable expediting, project database development, project procedures and earned value training, resource loading, engineering, construction and startup progress reporting. She is currently a Project Controls Director at Kiewit. Connect with Cyndi on LinkedIn.
(Front Left) Grace Martinez is a motivated, ambitious Field Engineer with 1.5 years of experience in the design and planning side of the industry. She earned experience through internships with Kiewit and recently joined full time as an onsite field engineer. Grace is excited to learn the construction side of the industry and eager to get her boots dirty. She is also active in DE&I organizations advocating for women and Hispanics in STEM. Connect with Grace on LinkedIn.
(Front Right) Stephanie Stephenson is an accomplished, highly experienced Project Engineer I at Kiewit. She has five years of experience in the estimating, planning and building side of the industry. After beginning her career as a pipe estimator, she progressed quickly to leadership roles on a mega-project. Her experience working with clients, vendors, engineers and field service employees enables her to successfully collaborate and manage each party’s needs to strongly execute projects from initial concept through completion. Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn.