A message from AISC President, Charlie Carter

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Rosie would be proud

“Fifty percent of the population makes up only two percent of the construction industry. We need to work on that,” said Jack Klimp when he started his term as Chair of the AISC Board of Directors. His point reflected the low representation of women in construction and the associated problem: It leaves the talents of so many off the table and figuratively ties an arm behind our back.

As we continue to celebrate AISC’s centennial, we also continue our focus on the volunteers who’ve made us who we are. With all this in mind, I’d like to recognize the talented and innovative women who’ve been changing that statistic and inspiring new generations for a while now. I’m privileged to know and have worked with many.

Very early in my career, I met Dottie Owen, who was the owner and Chair of the Board of Owen Steel Company in Columbia, S.C. at the time, and also the first woman to serve on the AISC Board of Directors. It was a coincidental meeting -- we randomly sat next to each other on the bus to the dinner at the 1994 AISC Steel Conference. Our conversation during the longer-than-usual ride left me impressed by how widely she was involved in industry and related activities as a volunteer, far beyond her pioneering role on the AISC Board.

I’ve had much greater opportunity to collaborate with current Board members Babette Freund of Dave Steel Company in Asheville, N.C. and Hollie Noveletsky of Novel Iron Works in Greenland, N.H. Babette has distinguished herself in many successive roles with AISC and in the industry, including more recently as the Chair of the AISC Committee on the Code of Standard Practice and also as Chair of the Board of AISC’s parent company, AISC Holdings, Inc. Hollie has been a strong advocate and connection for New England’s steel industry in her role and also recently led the expansion of the Rex I. Lewis Scholarship program of the AISC Education Foundation to include community colleges in New Hampshire. She also served on AISC’s first entirely female judging panel in 2019, helping to choose the winners of the 2020 IDEAS² Awards.

There also are many leaders sharing their talents, expertise, and wisdom in AISC committee activities:

• Committee on Specifications: Carol Drucker of DZSE, Inc. in Chicago, Judy Liu of Oregon State, Susan Burmeister of S2B Structural Consultants in Springfield, Va., and Shelley Finnigan of Arcelor Mittal in Chicago (Shelley contributes to the Committee on Manuals, as well)
• Committee on Manuals: Kim Olson of Nucor in Denver and Erica Fischer of Oregon State
• Committee on the Code of Standard Practice: Tricia Ruby of Ruby and Associates in Bingham Farms, Mich.; Lynda Leigh of Turner Construction in Chicago; and Elizabeth Mattfield of the Department of Buildings in New York City
• Committee on Research: Kim Roddis of George Washington University, Helen McKay of Lejeune Steel in Minneapolis, and Caroline Bennett of the University of Kansas
• Committee on Safety: Kris Chipman of COST, Inc. in Jackson, Wis. and Kathi Dobson of Alberici Constructors, Inc. in the Detroit area
• Certification Standards Committee: Carol Post of TT Engineers, Inc. in Chicago
• The Steel Conference and World Steel Bridge Symposium Committees: Babette Freund, Kim Olson, Lynda Leigh, Carrie Warner of WSP in Chicago, Jennifer McConnell of the University of Delaware, and Natalie McCombs of HNTB in Kansas City
• NSBA Committees and our Collaborations with AASHTO and AREMA: Natalie McCombs; Heather Gilmer of TUV Rheinland in the Pittsburgh area; Anna Petroski of Atema Inc. in Chicago, Christina Freeman of Florida DOT; Jaclyn Whelan of Conrail in Philadelphia, Deanna Nevling of HDR in Virginia Beach, Va.; Jamie Farris and Teresa Michalk of Texas DOT; Robin Rose of SSAB in the Chicago area; Amy Rogers of W&W/AFCO Steel in Little Rock, Ark; Julie Villareal of Cleveland Cliffs in Highland, In.; and Morgan Costello of Delong’s Inc. in Jefferson City, Mo. (Morgan is also about to join the AISC Board of Directors, too)
• Finally, Bonnie Manley of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) in the Boston area has contributed across so many areas that it’s hard to put her in only one committee category. We all have depended on and appreciate her success in making everything across and connected to the steel industry cohesive and coordinated. Her contributions have advanced virtually all of the structural pre-standards and standards that form the basis of the International Building Code. She’s also one of those notable AISC volunteers, too, working on the Committee on Research and a number of task committees of the Committee on Specifications, among other roles.

And these are just some of the people who are contributing to our work.

Let me also recognize Cindi Duncan as the staff trailblazer -- the first female engineer at AISC. She quickly made herself indispensable and today leads AISC’s engineering activities. A passionate advocate as well, Cindi has opened doors for the many women who make a difference in all aspects of what AISC does.

So many leaders! Our industry would be missing out on so much without them. They’ve all forged examples that we’d all be smart to follow.