The National Association of Women in Construction's (NAWIC) DEI Committee is excited to introduce the "Women in Spotlight" Series. This initiative aims to celebrate and highlight our dedicated members, alliances and partners who actively champion the advancement of women, contributing significantly to their organizations and communities. In observance of Black History Month, we will specifically shine a spotlight on women and emerging professionals who are making a noteworthy impact within the construction industry.

Ywanda Buckles-Ndiaye is a serial Entrepreneur, Commissioner, Community Philanthropist and Developer. One of her four companies came about when her interest in climate change and solar inspired her to become a Cofounder and Partner of a Minority Women owned company, Green Energy Ennovations (GEE), LLC an EV charge stations and Solar Technologies corporation. Her renewable energy firm of choice provides innovative design and construction energy solutions for our customer infrastructure and project management needs. GEE has a team of professionals in EV and Solar Energy as well as infrastructure funding partners for our clients’ projects. Since 1989 she has been an independent business owner and started a business advising firm headquartered in the Metropolitan Detroit Area in Southeast Michigan servicing the entire USA in 1999.

Another company of Ywanda’s, is Full Spectrum Business Enterprises, LLC, that structures innovative commercial real estate developments to:

-Create quality living for those in urban communities via housing, retail, office, and community establishments

-Consult on Tax Credits revenue for existing businesses, national, state, and local

-Creating jobs, for those which may not have been available without the particular investment

Ywanda is deeply passionate about fostering community development, specializing in the creation and consultation of multi-family developments. Her commitment extends to generating wealth through strategic business ventures and promoting opportunities through equity to address and dismantle economic disparities prevalent in communities of color nationwide.

NAWIC DEI Committee - Women in Spotlight Series

Celebrating: Nichelle Smith

Nichelle Smith, P.E., is a native of Anchorage, Alaska, and a distinguished professional in the field of civil engineering and construction management. She earned her B.S. in Civil Engineering from UAA and holds a Master's in Construction Management from Auburn University.

Starting her career as an intern with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Nichelle quickly garnered recognition as a 2002 Modern-Day Technology Leader by Black Engineer Magazine. Progressing in her career, she assumed roles as a Project Engineer, contributing to diverse projects across Alaska, California, and Arizona. Her portfolio includes work on Airport infrastructure, Marine Construction, Beach Erosion/Slope Protection and Replenishment, as well as, projects for V.A. Hospitals and FEMA emergency initiatives. Currently, she serves as a Senior Project Engineer with R&M Consultants.

Beyond her professional achievements, Nichelle has been actively involved in the community since her teenage years. She has dedicated her time and expertise to various professional and volunteer organizations, including notable contributions to Habitat for Humanity, Friends of the Library, Alaska Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Business Professional Women, WPLAK, and NAWIC.

Nichelle's commitment to NAWIC dates back to 2020. Over the past two years, she has served as a Board member for the Alaska Chapter and played a pivotal role as the Chapter Chair for the annual Block Kids competition for the last three years. Her contributions were further recognized when she was selected as the Chapter's nominee for the 2021 Engineer of the Year award.

In honor of Black History Month, we celebrate Nichelle Smith as a dedicated and accomplished professional, making impactful contributions to her field and community alike.

Lisa R. Smith is a distinguished member of the NAWIC Triangle chapter, highlighting an impressive career marked by dedication and expertise. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration and her master’s in public administration from North Carolina Central University. With a remarkable tenure of 27 years at the City of Durham, Lisa has accumulated over 25 years of invaluable experience in Project Management.

In her early years with the City of Durham, Lisa served as an Equal Opportunity/Equity Assurance Specialist within the Department of Equal Opportunity/Equity Assurance from August 1996 to April 1999. Her commitment and proficiency led to her promotion as a Construction Project Manager with the Parks and Recreation department in April 1999. Continuing to excel, she achieved the position of Senior Construction Project Manager in June 2003 within the General Services Department, making history as the first Black woman and woman ever hired for this role at the City of Durham. Lisa's expertise lies in project management and oversight, particularly in the design and construction of building improvements and major maintenance projects. Focused on delivering excellence, she provides oversight and management for multiple large, complex, and high-profile construction and design projects for various city departments and community agencies. As a trailblazer and seasoned professional, Lisa R. Smith continues to leave an impressive mark on the field of Project Management, inspiring others with her achievements and commitment to excellence.

Kisha Bausby has been an invaluable asset to JE Dunn's team since 1994, contributing significantly to the areas of diversity and inclusion, mentoring/development, small business contracting, project requirements, and national compliance reporting obligations. Her impactful work with diverse construction trade partners not only grants them access but also fosters competitiveness, independence, and success. A standout achievement in Kisha's career is her pivotal role in creating and executing JE Dunn's award-winning Minority Contractor Development Program (MCD) since its inception in 2005. This program has successfully trained and equipped hundreds of minority and women business owners to compete for construction contracts, resulting in over $250 million in contracts awarded to date.

Additionally, in 2018, Kisha launched the Professional Women of Color (PWOC), a consortium aimed at inspiring, igniting, and celebrating women of color who break glass ceilings. Kisha is renowned for leading JE Dunn's pioneering involvement in high school internship programs across the Greater Kansas City and Denver Metropolitan Areas. Under her adept leadership, Kisha orchestrates an annual expo where Union skilled trade organizations, grassroots workforce organizations, various contractors, and resource groups converge to actively recruit minorities, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. This strategic initiative has resulted in the establishment of countless connections, displaying Kisha's ability to foster meaningful collaborations.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Kisha channels her passion for making a positive difference into her personal life. She has served on several local boards and is currently a member of the Hot Stilettos shoe club, which supports Newhouse, a safe house for battered women and children. Kisha’s unwavering commitment to supporting small businesses and her continuous efforts to provide workforce opportunities for minorities, women, and veterans stand out prominently as JE Dunn commemorates its 100th year in business.

With over 30 years of experience, Sandra Marks is the Senior Vice President and Business Unit Leader of the Government and Community Affairs Business Unit at Clayco. Sandra and the Clayco small business and workforce development team focus on outreach, aligning community resources with project needs, assessing subcontractor resources for future bids, and overseeing partnering/mentor-protégé planning, monitoring, and reporting.

Sandra has played a pivotal role in developing and managing Clayco's culture and inclusion programs, particularly in the success of Clayco Rising. This initiative fosters lasting change in the design and construction sectors by establishing organizational pathways for universal learning, growth, and success. Emphasizing strong ties between Clayco leadership and diverse construction firms, Clayco Rising contributes to the expansion of capacity-building initiatives, encompassing the Clayco Foundation Juneteenth Advisory Committee, the Construction Career Development Initiative (CCDI), the Clayco Black Resource Group, Clayco Network of Women, and Clayco Cares.

Sandra was a key contributor to the formation of the Clayco Career Development Initiative (CCDI), which focuses on exposing youth, unemployed, and underemployed individuals from underrepresented groups to career opportunities in construction, as well as seek to increase their involvement in construction trades or related professional college degrees.

In partnership with several subcontractors, school administrators, industry and community organizations, CCDI provides one-on-one career mentorship to selected students along with funding upon their decision to enter a construction career to offset costs associated with their successful entry into either the construction trades or a two or four-year degree program.

Sandra's expertise in minority and women-owned small business development has enabled Clayco to directly engage with over 1,000 diverse firms nationwide, many of which secured prime contracts exceeding $1 million.

Sandra’s work over the years of prioritizing inclusion nationally and locally in her hometown of St. Louis has led to her many accreditations and awards.

As lead superintendent, Jade McNair manages the day-to-day safety, quality, and subcontractor activities and is a key driver for success. She is responsible for conducting regularly scheduled job meetings for on-site personnel and ensuring that field trades are well-coordinated and are working efficiently and safely on the project site. She demonstrates leadership by proactively influencing safety on job site and enforcing safety compliance at all times.

Jade is originally from South Carolina and moved to the Washington DC area to pursue her career in construction. Jade attended Virginia Tech, where she interned with Gilbane before graduating with a bachelor’s of science degree in building construction. Following her undergrad, she obtained a masters degree in construction management from Drexel University. Since then, she has provided on-site management on over $200 million worth of construction projects in the DC marketplace.

Jade is passionate about mentoring young professionals and advancing the industry through the continuous elevation of diverse business practices. She serves as the national chair for Gilbane’s Ujima employee resource group, which is a community of Black/African-American employees and advocates at Gilbane that exists to foster an inclusive culture by attracting and supporting professional development, community engagement, and providing a voice across the Gilbane enterprise.

Fun Fact: Jade minored in Spanish at Virginia Tech and studied art history abroad in Ecuador at Universidad San Francisco De Quito.

Margarita Castro Pereira is a Federal Operations Manager with over 28 years of construction management experience in the commercial, residential, mixed-use, mission-critical, manufacturing/industrial, and food and beverage market sectors. She brings experience in several delivery methods as a project executive, project director, preconstruction director, project manager, design coordinator, architectural designer, and marketing/business development manager. Her experience spans managing large multidisciplinary teams in high-profile projects in New York City, Mexico, San Francisco, and Tokyo, accounts for her ability to adapt, bridge relationships, and create added value through highly complex collaboration ventures.

She joined Gilbane in August 2015 in the Southwest region as a preconstruction director for the Gilbane-Alberici Joint Venture, where she co-led the Conceptual Design, Design Development, and Capital Expenditure Analysis for a $2 billion brewery in Mexicali for Constellation Brands Inc. and continued into the design-build phase until her relocation to New York.

Margarita joined Gilbane’s New York City office in 2017 where she was the interiors project executive on the 730 Fifth Avenue Crown Building project. Margarita has a wealth of international experience and is trilingual in Japanese, Spanish, and English with a fluency in German. She worked and lived in other countries, including Mexico and El Salvador, where she earned her BA in Architecture, and Tokyo, Japan, where she earned her Masters and PhD in Engineering.

Michelle is focused on building sustainably for the education and public market sectors and hopes to inspire lasting change through smart sustainable choices. She combines her strong technical building skills and hands-on, collaborative approach to effectively support Gilbane’s clients and construction teams to execute and deliver safe and successful projects. She is committed to promoting sustainability and is a primary stakeholder in providing direction to clients, team members, and subcontractors in the planning and execution of healthy and high-performing projects that directly impact local communities.

For Michelle, sustainability is critical when building for public clients, and she aims to create a positive long-term impact on the communities where she builds. She is an integral leader and implemented significant sustainability initiatives for Illinois Green Alliance. As the previous EDI Committee Chair, Michelle established KPIs as they set initiatives to address racism and inequity to effectively mitigate climate change.

Michelle is passionate about promoting lifelong learning, mentoring young professionals, and advancing the industry through the continuous elevation of sustainable and diverse business practices. She serves on the Board of Directors for Illinois Green Alliance, Illinois International Port District, and The Essence of Ivy and Pearls Foundation. To educate the next generation of leaders in STEM/sustainability, Michelle and her sister co-founded the Myesha & Michelle McClendon Scholarship Fund for African American women pursuing undergraduate engineering degrees through the Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foundation. She supports the National Association of Minority Architects, Polished Pebbles, Professional Women in Construction, and She Builds.