SEAoNY Diversity Committee Presents:
ElevateHer: A Platform for All
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Zoom Webinar Platform
Speaker: Jamie Claire Kiser, Managing Principal, Zweig Group
Event Description:
According to Zweig Group’s 2019 Principals, Partners, and Owners Survey of AEC Firms, 90% of AEC firm principals are Caucasian, 84% are male, and just 58% of male principals feel that there is a problem with lack of diversity across age, race, and gender among principals in this industry. Barely over half. This crushing data, though, presents a tremendous opportunity to work together as an industry to educate instead of alienate. In response, Zweig Group formed the ElevateHer platform, culminating in the launch of the first-ever national cohort-style program in January 2020.
A recent industry-agnostic study of performance review feedback found that 66% of women received negative feedback on their personal style, such as "you can sometimes be abrasive," compared to 1% of men. While women are entering engineering programs at record rates, the data is clear that we - as a profession - must change, else we will repeat the cycle of recruiting the next generation of women and retaining them until they feel the exhaustion that causes the gaps in diversity at the top of org charts that is the reality for our industry today.
There is a real opportunity to build teams with the best and brightest talent if we can come together to create cultures that foster all careers. The role of gender and what it means to be a woman in an AEC firm is a complex, changing, and highly charged topic. And it's one that has to be discussed as a question of survival for structural engineering firms.
Speaker Bio:
Jamie Claire Kiser is Zweig Group’s Director of Advisory Services. Prior to joining Zweig Group, Jamie Claire practiced law and also worked in commercial banking. She joined Zweig Group in 2015 with an initial focus on mergers & acquisitions and a drive to build long-term value for AEC firms. Following her promotion to Director of Advisory Services, her responsibilities increased to include strategic leadership over all of Zweig Group’s consulting areas, including valuation, ownership transition consulting, marketing consulting, M&A, recruiting and executive search, and strategic planning.
She holds a Masters of Business Administration, Juris Doctor, and Bachelors of Arts in History. She is a managing principal at Zweig Group an outside board member to Miyamoto International, based in Sacramento, CA; and is on the board of the Buffalo River Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to conserving the Buffalo National River. She is the founder and author of the platform ElevateHer as part of Zweig Group’s mission to Elevate the Industry. Her national conference speaking experience includes AIA, ACEC,ElevateAEC, SMPS Build Business, and CXPS.
Interested in purchasing 5 or more registrations? Please email jnuruddin@seaony.org for discounted prices.
Registration closes 2:00pm April 13, 2020
Zoom Link will be sent anytime between 12pm on April 13th 2020 to 12:30pm on April 14th 2020.
For SEAoNY members, registration is $10
For non-members, registration is $15
