AIA LA City Leaders Breakfast Reception with WBEC West

AIA LA City Leaders Breakfast Reception w/ the leadership of The Women’s Business Enterprise Council West

We are delighted to announce that the AIA LA City Leaders Breakfast Series will resume as a virtual “bring-your-own-coffee & breakfast” event.  For 2021, we’re aiming for 25+ receptions to showcase the numerous membership-based organizations that provide professional leadership in the A/E/C industry.

Our fifth in this series will feature the President, Chair, & Vice-Chair of the The Women’s Business Enterprise Council West (WBEC West).

Dr. Pamela Williamson – President & CEO, The Women’s Business Enterprise Council West

Dr. Giovanna Brasfield – Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion, Flatiron Construction and LINXS JV Inclusivity Manager & Chair, WBEC West

Priscilla Chavez, MCA – Manager, Business Development, PCL Construction & Board Director, LACCD & Vice-Chair, WBEC West

REGISTER HERE. (Free w/ advance RSVP)

We are organizing these receptions as opportunities for the architecture & design community to hear from the leadership of numerous A/E/C organizations and the specific initiatives each organization is helping to advance.

Dr. Pamela Williamson – President & CEO, The Women’s Business Enterprise Council West

Dr. Pamela Williamson is the President and CEO of The Women’s Business Enterprise Council West. She works with Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) connecting them to opportunity with corporate America and each other through targeted networking, education and certification. She believes that she can contribute to obtaining financial parity between women owned businesses and their male counterparts by creating programs to enhance the growth and development of women entrepreneurs in order to build successful women owned businesses and a vibrant WBE ecosystem. During her tenure at WBEC-West the organization has launched multiple educational programs and has made over two hundred thousand connections between WBEs and corporate America. Pamela holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, a Master’ degree in Organization Management, and bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Social Work. She currently sits on the Women on Boards Advisory Committee, The Arizona Better Business Bureau. And, also serves as a Global Diversity & Inclusion Benchmarks Expert Panelist for The Centre for Global Inclusion. She resides in Queen Creek Arizona with her family and has found a new passion in gardening.

Dr. Giovanna Brasfield – Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion, Flatiron Construction and LINXS JV Inclusivity Manager & Chair, WBEC West

Dr. Brasfield commonly known as “Dr. G” serves as the Senior Supplier Diversity and Community Inclusion Officer for Flatiron Construction as the Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion and also serves as the Inclusivity Manager for LINXS JV on the Los Angeles World Airport’s Automated People Mover (APM) project. She assists the Southwest District Manager and the Division Manager in meeting contractual requirements on current projects and upcoming project pursuits that engage women, diverse businesses, local workforce, and youth engagement. Dr. Brasfield is a true advocate, leader, and change agent within construction who is passionate about inclusion of others within construction and construction-related trades. Dr. Brasfield has been named the 2020 Mujer del Ano by the Regional Hispanic Institute as part of the Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, identified by Autodesk’s construction industry bloggers as one of the 2020’s and also the 2019’s “Top 50 Construction Influencers” across the United States, by the Los Angeles Business Journal as a finalist for the Rising Star Award, and by Diversity Professional Magazine as a “Game Changer”.

Priscilla Chavez, MCA – Manager, Business Development, PCL Construction & Board Director, LACCD & Vice-Chair, WBEC West

Dynamic. Engaging. Business focused. These are the words that describe Priscilla Chavez. A 10+ year veteran of building relationships within the Los Angeles business community, Priscilla embraces the value found at the intersection of strategic owner relationships, small and diverse business engagement, local community investment. As Manager, Business Development for PCL Construction, Priscilla’s day-to-day efforts are focused on driving business development initiatives and building industry relationships, while establishing market presence and visibility, creating opportunities for PCL and securing partnerships with all stakeholders with an emphasis on diverse business inclusion.

In her role, Priscilla also oversees and manages PCL’s diversity and inclusion efforts in Southern California including community outreach, supplier diversity, workforce development, as well as labor relations.

Currently, Priscilla serves as a board member for the L.A. Trade Technical College Foundation, and Women Business Enterprise Council, and is an active member of many other professional organizations.

As a dedicated business and community leader, Priscilla is determined to provide opportunities for communities to thrive and grow through education of small businesses through PCL’s network and creating career pathways in construction through PCL’s workforce development.

Additional Prospective topics and themes will include:

• Ensuring & Maintaining Industry Relevance as an A/E/C organization
• Economic Recovery & Environmental Resilience Initiatives (Climate Action & Infrastructure)
• Preparing the LA-region for 2028 and Beyond (Olympics & Paralympics, etc.)
• Workforce development and S.T.E.A.M pipeline; Access to Careers in A/E/C
• Opportunities to advance Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the A/E/C industry
• Procurement Best-Practices, Alternative Project Delivery & Innovative Funding Sources

REGISTER HERE. (Free w/ advance RSVP)

Prospective list of organizations for this series (partial list):

CMAA Southern California Chapter
The Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC)
American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) California Los Angeles County Chapter
Associate General Contractors of California, Los Angeles District
Design-Build Institute of America, Western Pacific Region
WBEC West
The National Association of Women in Construction, Los Angeles Chapter #42
Urban Land Institute, Los Angeles
International Code Council, Los Angeles Basin Chapter
California Building Officials
American Society of Landscape Architects, Southern California
Southern California Development Forum
Los Angeles Headquarters Association
Westside Urban Forum
L.A. Forum for Architecture & Design
Los Angeles Business Council
Central City Association of Los Angeles
Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
The American Planning Association, Los Angeles Section
USGBC-LA
The Building Industry Association Los Angeles / Ventura Chapter
ACE West / ACE Mentor Program of America (ACE)
Asian American Architects/Engineers Association (AAa/e)
So Cal NOMA
The Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
Association of Environmental Contractors (AEC) – California
Arab American Association of Engineers and Architects (Southern California Chapter)
American Council for Construction Education (ACCE)
American Institute of Constructors (AIC)
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)
Associated Schools of Construction (ASC)
Construction Employers’ Association (CEA)
The Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA)
National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
Retail Contractors Association (RCA)
Arab American Association of Engineers and Architects (Southern California Chapter)