Extending The Ladder with Nancy Novak Compass Datacenters

Today, Nancy is joined by Amanda Brown and Meghan Thomas, senior construction managers at Compass Datacenters. 
Amanda and Meghan share their inspiring journeys into the construction industry, drawing from their non-traditional backgrounds and highlighting the value of transferable skills and adaptability in their roles. 
The conversation highlights the unique challenges and opportunities faced by women in the construction industry, emphasizing the value of soft skills, networking, and continuous personal and professional development. 
They address the significance of mentorship and advocacy for women in construction, articulating the impact of bias and the need to change the narrative around talent in the industry. The episode delves into the importance of building trust, fostering a positive work environment, and breaking down barriers to create more opportunities for women in the construction field.

In this episode, Nancy Novak, Chief Innovation Officer at Compass Datacenters, engages in a conversation with Amy Slagle Swanson, Former Managing Executive - North America Alliance Leader - EY at IBM.
Amy, drawing from her 35 years of global experience, shares insights on empowering women in leadership roles. The discussion covers the progression of leadership, emphasizing the challenges and importance of self-clarity.
Amy addresses stumbling blocks for women, urging them to overcome perfectionism and embrace imperfections in pursuing leadership roles. The power of vulnerability in leadership is explored, highlighting its role in fostering authenticity, connection, and innovation.
The discussion stresses the significance of intention and personal connections, advocating for a balance between power and humility in leadership. Throughout, Amy's valuable insights offer a roadmap for women navigating leadership roles in various industries.
Amy’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-slagle-swanson-5b09bbb/

Today, Nancy is joined by Kabri Lehrman-Schmid, Project Superintendent at HENSEL PHELPS.
Kabri's journey from her early career to her current leadership role provides a captivating backdrop for our discussion. Her insights into leadership principles and strategies offer invaluable lessons for both aspiring and seasoned leaders.
Throughout their conversation, they explore the multifaceted nature of leadership. Delving into topics such as effective communication, team dynamics, and the importance of fostering a positive work environment, Kabri's leadership philosophy emphasizes the significance of mentorship and continuous self-improvement.
Kabri’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kabri-lehrman-schmid/

In this episode of Extending the Ladder, Nancy sits down with three incredible STEM students from San Diego State University.
Lily Astete, Dani Hunt, and Juliet Luevanos are all navigating the world of STEM and come together today to discuss the barriers, challenges, and opportunities for women in STEM since graduation.
In a round table-type episode, Nancy has the opportunity to ask this new generation of women in STEM their thoughts on the industry, as well as opportunities they see for the industry to change to become more inclusive and accepting of all groups.

In today's episode of Extending The Ladder by Compass Datacenters, Nancy Novak, podcast host and Chief Innovation Officer at Compass Datacenters, is joined by Brittany Marley, Vice President, Client Executive at STACK INFRASTRUCTURE. They dive deep into the role of women in sustainability, the need for collaboration, and the importance of measuring impacts.

Marley and Novak discuss:

The importance of women leaders in sustainability, and why their underrepresentation could mean missing out on critical solutions.How corporate sustainability hinges on collaboration, specific metrics, and reduction of emissions throughout the supply chain.The need for improving efficiency in data centers to reduce energy usage and carbon emissions, with a special focus on Microsoft's Azure platform.The complexities of solving carbon emissions and the necessity for collaboration at all governmental, corporate, and individual levels.The challenges in supporting digital transformation within energy constraints and the shared responsibility of corporations and consumers.The pivotal role of diversity, inclusion, and equity for success, specifically, the representation and involvement of women in decision-making processes for quality of life improvements and climate change mitigation.Despite the complexities of sustainability and digital transformation, Marley underscores the need for holistic approaches, collaboration, and the invaluable contribution of women's leadership.
Brittany Marley, with her extensive experience in developing scalable infrastructure solutions for hyperscalers and cloud providers, has been instrumental in creating strategic partnerships with global clients. She prioritizes operational excellence for complex compute and edge networks, ensuring rapid delivery to meet market demand. Her expertise offers invaluable insights into the need for diversity and innovative thinking in tackling sustainability issues.

When you picture a stereotypical worker in the construction industry, for most individuals, the first image that probably comes to mind is likely a male. But females are becoming increasingly engaged in construction roles. Female-based apprenticeship programs such as the ANEW in Seattle, Building Pathways in Boston, and Tradeswomen Inc. are facilitating this, according to EHS Today. 
Why is this growth occurring and what are organizations and businesses doing to catalyze this growth? 
On today’s episode of Extending the Ladder by Compass Datacenters, podcast Host and Chief Innovation Officer of Compass Datacenters, Nancy Novak, speaks with Jennifer Sproul, President of Maryland Center for Construction Education and Innovation, Inc. (MCCEI), about what MCCEI and other companies are doing to boost the number of females in construction-based roles.  
Novak and Sproul also discussed… 
How Sproul entered the construction industry and the challenges she faced as a female in the field
Recent growth of female involvement in the construction industry and why this is occurring 
What Compass Datacenters is doing to promote female engagement in construction 
Despite the small proportion of females in the construction industry, Sproul said there has been an upswing in numbers since 2018. “I’d say probably the first few years or so we were in the industry and out in the workforce we were stuck at about 9 percent, a little under 10 percent of the industry. And now, nationally, we’re at 14 percent. In fact, in Washington, D.C., women make up 17.6 percent.” She believes part of the reason for this upswing is education of women realizing construction opportunities.  
Jennifer Sproul is President of Maryland Center for Construction Education and Innovation, Inc. Prior to her work at MCCEI, she held various marketing roles in a variety of companies and organizations. Sproul has also served as the National Professional Development & Education Committee Chair and the Northeast Region Director of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). She holds an AAS in Construction Management from Catonsville Community College and a BA in Communications from Loyola University Maryland.