Women in Construction Event
Findlay, OH
March 5-6, 2024
The two-day program will draw women of all ages, backgrounds and experiences “to harness their power and redefine the industry’s landscape.”
In addition to a keynote address by speaker Barbara J. Jackson, there will be networking opportunities, panel discussions and interactive breakout sessions tailored to address the challenges and opportunities within a male-dominated field.
To RSVP, please visit
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/werk-brau-womenin-construction-summit-registration-744254103057?aff=oddtdtcreator
Barbara J. Jackson, PH.D., FDBIA After 20 years in industry as a chief estimator, senior project manager, and CEO of Design-Build Services Inc., and another 15 years developing design-build and integrated project delivery education at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo CA, Barbara returned to Colorado, where in August of 2013, she took over the helm as the Director of the Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management at the University of Denver, in Denver, CO. There she developed an integrated educational model representing the full life cycle of the built environment, encompassing all aspects of commercial and residential construction, commercial real estate, and project delivery. As Director of the Burns School, she developed and delivered the most advanced education in the Built Environment. In 2022 Jackson transitioned from her career in academia and dedicates her efforts toward transforming leadership and culture in the AEC industry through her company Barbara Jackson LLC. where she offers speaking services, educational boot camps and training, consulting services, leadership support, culture mapping, strategic planning, and various tailored services.
As one of the most recognized and respected thought leaders in the AEC industry, Dr. Jackson’s primary focus is on leadership and culture in the transforming design and construction disciplines. She is a leading expert in the area of design-build, integrated project leadership, gender intelligence, interdisciplinary collaboration, and cultural transformation. Dr. Jackson spent 20 years in the construction and real estate industry working as a project estimator and senior project manager and then as President and Owner of Design/Build Services Inc. She holds a B.S. in Housing and Design, a Masters in Construction Management, and a Ph.D. in Education and Human Resources with a specialization in the Construction Industry from Colorado State University.
In 2018, Jackson received the prestigious Brunelleschi Lifetime Achievement Award, which is the highest honor bestowed by the Design/Build Institute of America (DBIA). That same year she was recognized as a DBIA Fellow by the Institute. In 2021 Jackson was inducted into the prestigious National Academy of Construction (NAC). This is in addition to receiving many Distinguished Leadership and Service awards over the years from a multitude of distinguished organizations.
Always in high demand, Dr. Jackson is a nationally recognized speaker. She presents the most innovative and thought-provoking industry material to a multitude of regional, national, and international design and construction companies, professional associations, and public entities each year. In 2015, Jackson created the Women Building Change Leadership Boot Camp dedicated to preparing and advancing women in construction and related fields, to leadership roles. In 2023 Jackson will be rolling out additional leadership training programs and providing deeper dive leadership coaching on a one-to-one basis.
In addition, she is the author of two books – Construction Management Jumpstart and Design-Build Essentials.
Missy Guerrero Scherber is the president and primary owner of T.Scherber, an earthmoving and
waste management company in Minneapolis that services top developers and general
contractors in the Twin Cities.
Through Missy’s leadership T.Scherber has grown exponentially over the last 8 years and were
recently awarded their WBE/MBE/SBE/DBE certifications teeing them up to support larger
commercial & government projects. She is passionate about “Doing Dirty Jobs Differently” while
bringing construction and community together to make a difference.
In 2021 T.Scherber won Finance and Commerce prestigious Top Women in Construction Award
in the “Companies on the Rise” category and was selected as 1 of 10 finalists for Equipment
World’s Contractor of the Year award.
Missy leads the company’s overall business efforts and has a consistent commitment to sharing
T.Scherber’s story internally, externally, and specifically online in order to shine the spotlight on
the careers in the trades and women in construction.
On Social Media she has become an advocate and spokesperson for women in construction
and has amassed a following of over 20,000+ people on instagram (primarily contractors) and
5,000 page views a month on their website and blog. She is a brand ambassador for several
global companies including Caterpillar and ConExpo and has received national recognition and
press for her advocacy including a recent interview with USA TODAY released on International
Women’s Day!
She’s a member of the AWC, AGC, NAMC, and the MSA, and is also very active in giving back
to her community through several local non-profits and her “Do Good Dumpster” Program.
Whether it’s big machines or board meetings, dumpsters or doing good, she is always looking
for creative ways to build a better industry that builds a better world.
Anne Pfleger, CIT has been working in the construction and transportation industries for 29 years. She joined Hancock Structural Steel, LLC as the Director of Operations in October 2021. Anne is also a Past National President of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC).
For Anne becoming a member of NAWIC in 2006 ignited an internal purpose and passion, to not only improve personally, but to support and guide other women in the construction industry to do the same. She has also engaged parallel organizations seeking ways to be of mutual benefit to one another.
Anne’s goal for the next few years is to be the conduit to connect and communicate collaboratively to have the conversations that will break the barriers women are facing in the construction industry.