Episode 3 of the Empowering Women Podcast

Guest: Jenny Han, Architect, Director of Design Operations at Skender

Jenny Han is a licensed Architect based in Chicago. Her specialities include design of healthcare facilities. Ms. Han also has a special interest in the intersection of space and community. She shared her story of being the daughter of immigrants and what it was like to find her path at the intersection of art and science. 

QUOTES

“It is important to me to lead, to not say “no”, even if it is something I’m fearful of”.

“If somebody else has faith I can do something, I give it a shot… That has enabled me to do things I wouldn’t normally volunteer myself for.”

“If there’s three reasons to do anything, I always say you should do it.”

“The overriding theme with golf is like anything in your career…. Just show up. Don’t be so paralyzed and afraid that you don’t even show up to your seat at the table.”

“Find mentors in all aspects of your life that fulfill different roles and needs you might have…”

Concepts and Resources Discussed

•      National Council of Architectural Registration Boards 
•      Panopticon
•      Ethnography
•      Public Housing
•      Robert Taylor Homes
•      Lean Manufacturing
•      Value Engineering

Jenny's Education

•      Cornel Architecture
•      University of Chicago

Companies & Organizations Discussed

•      Proteus Group
•      Skender
•      Young Women Warrio

Episode 2 of the Empowering Women Podcast

Renee shared her career path. She started her career in the HVACR space without any technical training. She courageously shared her experience of leaving the workforce to become a caretaker for her terminally ill father, and her experience returning after some time away. Renee has exception, heart-felt advice for women working their way up in male-dominated career spaces. It's also obvious from her talk, that she has a deep passion for diversity, and works towards improving the environment for all people in the HVACR space. 

Renee on Twitter: @ReneeJoseph15

Links to Subjects Renee Discussed

• Johnson Controls
• Burj Khalifa 
• Life of a BTU Video by Johnson Controls 
• Understanding Building Automation System
• Changing Demographics in the HVACR Industry White Paper
• Spending time with the coolest women in industry
• TRANE
• AHR
• ASHRAE
• P&L – Profit and Loss Statement in operating a business
• CRM  - Customer Relationship Management  

QUOTES

“You really have to make sure everyone has a seat at the table and that you encourage and coach out those voices so that everyone can be heard.” 

“We know statistically that teams that are more diverse are higher performing teams… we use a lot of that data to encourage bringing those diverse teams together, especially on big important projects to show how the diversity in thinking can help produce better results.”

Episode 1 of the Empowering Women Podcast

Guest: Lynn Spivey, Director of Utilities for the City of Plant City, Florida 

Lynn shared her career path. She started her early career working for the U.S. Airforce and working for a defense contractor in electronics. She went to school for Chemical Engineering and ended up in the municipal water and wastewater sector. Lynn has a wonderful perspective on navigating tricky career situations, and the Empowering Women team hopes you enjoy this first episode. 

Lynn Spivey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-spivey-4b6b9223/ 

QUOTES:

“I made that conscious choice that I didn’t want to be angry about the unfairness, that I wanted to recognize it, but figure out how to make tools out of that instead of how to build resentment… Women do have some natural tendencies to figure out how to do that – take anger and make energy out of that.”

“Take a look at the landscape around you, recognize that it is unfair and then figure out what you’re going to do, what little piece you can do to help with that.

“An important aspect of leadership is being able to enable the people around you. Different people have different definitions of leadership. But I’ve found true power comes from that… I think the other important aspect of leadership is having strength in your knowledge base enough to be an important component in making it better… and that makes a natural leader – when you want to become part of the equation of making it better.”

“Leadership quality really does mean being able to stand up for more than just your voice… Recognizing that responsibility and taking it seriously is a good leadership quality.”

“It’s hard to really understand where a person is coming from. It’s easy to hear their opinion. But it’s not easy to get why they came to that conclusion, that opinion. It really takes understsanding that to have enough compassion and empathy to be open to what they’re saying. And then find ways around the barriers that can keep dividing us.”

Mel the Engineer speaks solo on this episode to describe what the Empowering Women Podcast is all about. She also shares information on the Empowering Women in Industry Organization, and CollabSuite, a career support group for women working in male-dominated fields.