OUR DIRECTORS
The women who form the CCW Board of Directors are all volunteers who dedicate their time and effort towards CCW’s mandate; to support and inspire women and to create a stronger construction industry.
Through their time sitting on the board they are expected to attend monthly board meetings, along with as many events as possible and take responsibility for fufilling their role.
Aside from sitting on the board they all have their own professional careers and families. Proving that it is possible to do it all.
Without the current or past Board of Directors CCW could not have become the organization it is today.
Headshots generously provided by Castle Island Photography https://www.behance.net/castleisland
CURRENT DIRECTORS
-
Kate KirwanPresident
-
Christy NikelVice President
-
Stacie CraneTreasurer
-
Lucie TaragosSecretary
-
Shuwen MaDirector of Programs
-
Annika DowntonDirector of Membership
-
Melissa PettitDirector of Sponsorship
-
Carla ParsonsDirector of Communications
-
Seema LalDirector of Community
-
Kat TaylorDirector at Large
Kate Kirwan
Kate is the Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) Manager for Turner Construction Company in Canada. She has an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Technology from Dublin Institute of Technology along with over ten years industry experience. She is involved in all stages of construction, from pursuit through to close-out.
Kate is passionate about encouraging and assisting women in the construction industry, particularly in the technological side which, as with the industry as a whole, is traditionally male-dominated. In the past few years, Kate has mentored numerous BCIT design students along with high school students through her involvement with the Green Bricks organization. She has presented on VDC topics at Autodesk University, WISE (Women in Science and Engineering), BuildEX, for BIMbc and at numerous LCI (Lean Construction Institute) conferences. She is proud to lead a majority-female VDC team at Turner.
Kate has been a member of Canadian Construction Women since 2011 and held the position of Programs Director from 2014 to 2019 before moving into the Vice President position. She became President of the organization in 2021.
president@constructionwomen.org
Christy Nikel
Christy is a Master Lean Black Belt with 18 years of experience helping companies learn and implement effective problem-solving techniques. While she works with many industries, her passion lies with construction, where collaboration and efficiency directly impact the ability to deliver on time, with quality. In her free time, Christy enjoys gardening, cycling, and singing loudly (and poorly). She has served as Director of Membership for the last year and is excited to take on the role of Vice President.
vp@constructionwomen.org
Stacie Crane
Stacie Crane is an Assistant Project Manager with several years of experience in design, construction and operations in industries ranging from renewable energy, transportation and buildings. Professionally she is passionate about fulfilling the project life cycle and assisting the team in reaching the project objectives; personally she likes to travel, be outdoors and volunteer. She is a firm believer that volunteering is good for the soul and she’s excited to be doing so for an organization that embodies empowerment, inspiration and support for women.
treasurer@constructionwomen.org
Lucie Taragos
Lucie is currently the Brand and Communications Coordinator at ETRO Construction.
This will be Lucie’s second year with the CCW Board in the role of secretary. She also assists with Social Media communications, using her storytelling skills to share CCW’s message. Through continuing her work on the Board of Directors she sets out to soak up as much knowledge as possible about our industry.
She brings with her 5+ years of leadership experience and a fresh outlook on how to bring women together.
Lucie’s an advocate for mental health and equality within the workplace.
secretary@contructionwomen.org
Shuwen Ma
Shuwen Ma graduated from the University of Florida with a Master of Building Construction degree in 2011. She has a certificate of management in BIM (Building Information Modeling) from The Association of General Contractors of America.
Shuwen joined Canadian Turner Construction company as a VDC (Virtual Design in Construction) Coordinator since 2018. Prior to Vancouver, Shuwen worked with Turner Construction in Philadelphia and another GC in Miami. She has five-year demonstrated construction history across a variety of project types and she is passionate about the intersection of technology, design and construction. In her free time, she likes traveling, reading and hiking with Daha (her dog).
Shuwen is excited to join Canadian Construction Women and she is looking forward to promoting diverse events and activities throughout the year.
events@constructionwomen.org
Annika Downton
Annika is an Assistant Project Manager at Turner Construction and has been involved in the construction industry for 4 years. She graduated from the University of Victoria with a B.Eng in Civil Engineering and Minor in Business, and then moved to Vancouver to begin her career. She’s now completed many tenant improvement projects, and her favorite aspect has been building relationships with her subtrades and Clients while delivering projects all parties can be proud of. Since moving to Vancouver, Annika has fully embraced the outdoorsy way of life; going on hiking trips, brewery tours, spending an evening playing board games with friends, and relaxing on the beach.
She has been passionate in the promotion of diversity in construction and building support networks for women and minorities in the industry. Previously, Annika ran Mentorship events for students in engineering and promotional work in the construction industry. She’s excited to join Canadian Construction Women and looks forward to serving as Director of Membership.
membership@constructionwomen.org
Melissa Pettit
As a Project Specialist for one of Canada’s largest electrical wire and cable distributors, Melissa’s scope of responsibility includes development of new business opportunities, handling of procurement inquiries and facilitating cable management programs for large and/or mega infrastructure projects in the transportation, energy and renewables sectors.
Melissa is a proud BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology) Marketing Communications graduate, savvy sales, marketing and business development professional with 15+ years’ experience supporting teams and organizational leaders in both B2B and B2C environments primarily within construction (electrical and electronic wire and cable), automotive, creative arts (film/tv//radio) and not-for profit sectors.
Melissa is excited to join Canadian Construction Women in this role. She looks forward to liaising with the many skilled and talented individuals in the industry and working with the organization’s many valued sponsors.
sponsorship@constructionwomen.org
Carla Parsons
Carla Parsons is the Business Development Manager for Beatty Floors Ltd; engaging in new business alliances, brand promotion, customer satisfaction, project management and building relationships with vendor partners.
She found her passion for the Construction Industry while living in Nashville, TN for 14 Years and was in fact part of the creation of a new local cooperative called WiNC – Women in Networking + Construction. Now happy to be back in BC and part of the CCW Association in the role of Director of Communications, she strives to connect with ladies in the Construction Industry that are seeking opportunities to celebrate and support the growth and successes of being Canadian Construction Women.
When not struggling through a pandemic, Carla loves to travel and is involved in international dog rescue.
communications@constructionwomen.org
Seema Lal
Seema Lal is a principal of SHK Law and is a member of the firm’s construction, insurance, commercial litigation and employment practices.
Her clients in the construction industry benefit from Seema’s focus on the negotiation and preparation of construction contracts, procurement issues, builders liens, disputes and construction litigation, including claims for extras and delay. Seema has acted as counsel in mediations and arbitrations, and has appeared before administrative tribunals and all levels of Court.
Seema is actively involved in the community and donates her time by participating on the Boards of a number of industry groups and non-profit organizations. She is excited to be able to assist the CCW in its mission of increasing women’s representation in the construction field.
community@constructionwomen.org
Kat Taylor
Kat graduated with a Bachelors of Engineering Degree in Civil Engineering in 2019.
She moved to Vancouver to begin her career at Canadian Turner Construction Company following her graduation. She is a project coordinator at Turner construction and has had the opportunity to work on many projects.
Kat is an energetic, motivated individual who is passionate about the construction industry. She feels accomplished when a project is completed and is able to take pride in the work she completes with her team.
Kat enjoys the outdoors, whether it be taking hikes in the mountains or relaxing on the beach with friends.