In this episode, we’re joined by Bill Proudman, co-founder of White Men as Full Diversity Partners (WMFDP), an organization that has worked for over 30 years at the intersection of leadership, equity, and inclusion.
WMFDP partners with leaders to build cultures rooted in courage, consciousness, and competency — environments where people feel seen, connected, supported, and proud to belong.
Bill shares the origin of his work, recognizing that people experience systems differently, and emphasizes that inclusion is not about blame or shame. It’s about acknowledging systemic unearned advantages and equipping leaders to steward meaningful, sustainable cultural change.
This conversation challenges leaders to engage thoughtfully and lead inclusively.
In this episode, we highlight the importance of women supporting women to build a more inclusive construction industry.
We’re joined by Erica Jones, Vice President of MMC Corporation and Founder of On The Rise, a program designed to elevate women in construction through focused leadership workshops. In addition to leading marketing for a $1.2 billion organization, Erica actively champions mentorship, advocacy, and intentional support for women and minorities across the industry.
She shares practical insights on building strong teams, scaling marketing operations during significant company growth, and why lifting others up ultimately strengthens the entire industry.
Her message is simple: advocate for one another, mentor intentionally, and embrace the diverse perspectives that make organizations better.
Laura Miranda shares her journey from Columbia to Australia and how that led her to a two-year technical degree and to co-founding the podcast called “You Don’t Look Like an Engineer”. Laura’s story is remarkable, wise beyond her years with incredible insights to share with us.
Suzanne Arkle is a remarkable woman who has devoted her 25 year career to driving inclusivity in large construction programs. Suzanne shares her insights on how we can all help small business and underrepresented communities thrive in our industry.
Lisa Hinz, Founder of The Confidence Track, shares her journey with imposter syndrome and how she shifted from constantly reacting to focusing upon living an intentional life. Lisa shares concrete techniques for building confidence – finding safe environments to talk about self-doubt, identifying the triggers of self-doubt, and intentional responses to self-doubt. Lisa also shares specific techniques for women in male-dominated fields to build confidence (stop over-apologizing!) and yet her advice is applicable to us all.
Jennifer Wilkerson, Vice President of Innovations and Advancements for the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) shares the results of a recent research, In Her Own Words: Improving Project Outcomes, that explores why we need more women in the trades (currently we have about 4%) and how we build the inclusive industry that will help them thrive. The research involved 29 focus groups, 176 interviews with tradeswomen, and 770 surveys; and discusses specific actions we can all take such as stressing zero tolerance for disrespectful behavior and properly fitting PPE.
It started with a question. Why are we still having a conversation about women in construction? Simon Sinek taught us to start with why, and after 40+ years in construction, my “why” for starting the International Institute for Women in Construction is explained in probably the most meaningful podcast I’ve ever recorded. Thank you to IIWIC Board member Ale Spray for curating such a beautiful conversation.
IIWIC is not here to replicate efforts to attract, develop, and retain women in construction. We bring passion, we support effective strategies, we accelerate efforts. We share the success stories that inspire action and move needles.
Evelyn Lai recently participated in a leadership panel at the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association annual conference and shared their experiences of being a gender diverse person in our industry. Evelyn takes the time to candidly share their journey and help us understand how we can create an industry where all people feel they belong.
Dean Riha of Fulton Hogan shares a case study of the implementation of the construction industry Culture Standard in Australia that focuses upon increasing 1) time for life, 2) wellbeing, and 3) diversity while improving productivity and project outcomes.
This pilot project finished on time, on budget, and people worked 21 days less with no loss in take home pay and no loss in productivity. RMIT’s academic research showed an improvement in engagement and wellbeing. The project had 21% women and over 8% women in the trades versus the typical 2-3% (a third of the senior leadership was female as well).
Angie Cacace and Kate Glantz are two tradeswomen who are doing amazing work to attract teenage girls into the construction industry. Their strategy of a free “sassy little magazine” for not only these girls also but their parents, guidance counselors, and teachers with specific information on how to explore a career in construction trades is incredibly creative.
