Let’s Hear it for the Girls!
March 8 is International Women’s Day, a global day to celebrate women's social and economic achievements. As a woman-owned business, this day is a cause for celebration in our boutique PR agency – a time to celebrate with our female staff and reflect on all of our many achievements personally, professionally, and collectively as a group.
The Dala team is commemorating International Women’s Day by taking a walk down memory lane, highlighting a few client initiatives we have worked on over the years, and positioning our clients’ female employees as thought leaders in their respective industries. We know you’ll agree these women are at the top of their game!
AECOM – Women Run the World
Wendy Lopez is a senior vice president and Texas Executive with AECOM whose contributions to her profession, community and to the advancement of women in engineering could fill a book. Read more about this trailblazer in the ENR story aptly titled, Pioneering Engineer Wendy Lopez Forges a New Path.
Maribel Chavez, vice president of transportation at AECOM, is most known for breaking the mold throughout her career including serving as the first female district engineer to work at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Read more about Maribel in the article from the Dallas Business Journal titled, How AECOM's Maribel Chavez has made a career 'breaking the mold'.
Tatum Lau, senior urban designer at AECOM, is driving positive change as the deputy project manager for Dallas’ first Comprehensive Environmental & Climate Action Plan (CECAP). Find out why Tatum is helping build a safe future for Dallas residents in this story from Dallas Innovates: North Texas Innovators and Disruptors You Need to Know
Capital One – Girl on Fire
Each year, Capital One hosts Coders, an exciting day-long event aimed at educating, mentoring, and empowering students to recognize their potential as technologists. Last year, Girls Inc. Of Metropolitan Dallas (Girls Inc.) middle and high schoolers created a mobile Star Wars app with the MIT App Inventor. Learn more about how these girls “used the force” in Plano Magazine’s article, Capital One’s Coders Ignite Program Sparks Girls’ Interest in STEM.
“As women leaders in our community, it is critical that we invest in the next generation of women leaders. We must take time to mentor, provide a helping hand and cheer each other on.” – Monica Shortino, director of social innovation at Capital One. Find out why Plano Magazine named Monica one of their 2019 Girl Bosses here.
McCarthy Building Companies – She’s Got This
For Women in Construction Week, McCarthy’s Ruth Milan, project senior safety manager, and Cecia Saenz, assistant safety manager, shared how they get the job done as women in the male-dominated construction industry in the TV segments noted below.
Telemundo DFW - Women join construction due to worker shortages (Ruth Milan)
Fox 26 Houston - Celebrating National Women in Construction Week (Cecia Saenz)
Colleen Martindale, senior estimator at McCarthy, is helping lead McCarthy’s Partnership for Women - Texas Division, where she is taking an active role in recruiting and outreach efforts to attract more women to consider construction careers. In 2017, Colleen wrote one of D CEO’s most-read blogs of the year, relaying her experience as a woman in construction and her hopes for the future of the industry. Read her very popular blog post here.
Trinity Christian Academy – The Future is Female
Lisa Wong, mechanical engineer and director of technology at Trinity Christian Academy, is on a mission to get girls interested in STEM careers and engineering. In addition to creating and teaching Trinity Christian Academy’s first engineering design class, Lisa launched a STEM club in both the high school and lower school of Trinity Christian Academy to spark interest at a younger age. Find out what makes Lisa a tech titan in the tech/STEM industry by reading her Q&A with the Dallas Business Journal here.
Dala Communications – She’s Simply the Best!
Our chairman, Cynthia Pharr-Lee, is a co-founder of Texas Women Ventures, which invests in women-led businesses. She received the Tech Titan 2015 Investment Catalyst Award for her role with Texas Women Ventures and was named 2017 Outstanding Dallas Board Member by Dallas Business Journal and NACD. Check out this profile that Prime Women wrote about Cynthia to learn more about her passion for helping other women succeed in business.
Cheers to our clients and these trailblazing women who are setting the path on fire for the next generation of female leaders! This is what International Women’s Day is all about!
“I thought only professionals could build an app, but I was able to do it and make it my own. I learned that there is so much more behind the scenes with technology, and I hope to get a career in STEM. Women use technology all the time, so we should have an impact on it!”