CUFO Participates in Women Builders Council’s AIM 2023 Leadership Forum

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Columbia University Facilities and Operations (CUFO) employees were invited to attend the Women Builders Council’s (WBC) AIM 2023 Leadership Forum, focused on the impacts the pandemic had on the construction industry and the different tools available to “reset” in a post-pandemic world. Columbia was a Gold Sponsor of the event and employee participation was funded by CUFO’s Equity and Inclusion (EI) Council. The full day conference was held on March 16 at New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn. 

The WBC AIM Leadership forum featured panels with industry experts, senior leaders, and well-known coaches including four CUFO employees – Assistant Vice President of Supplier Diversity Tanya Pope, Human Resources Director Michael Roman, Executive Assistant to Vice President Operations Dennelle Clark, and Senior Advisor to the Executive Vice President Anne B. Waters – discussing tools women in the construction industry can use to tackle the challenges they may be facing in their profession and their businesses. 

“We are committed to cultivating diversity and growth opportunities at all levels of our organization. Through programs like the WBC Leadership Forum, all staff have the opportunity to hear from industry experts and come away with tangible actions to support their personal and professional growth,” said Denise Ferris, Associate Vice President of Design Management at Manhattanville and co-chair of the CUFO Equity and Inclusion Council. 

Through panel and network sessions focused on a variety of topics including finding your authentic voice, motivating and attracting diverse teams, and creating an executive presence, the forum offered the 42 CUFO employees that attended the skills and strategies that are not always available in the workplace.  

WBC was established in 2004 and is a leading association representing women in construction with a focus on leadership. CUFO’s partnership with the WBC spans across a number of construction-related initiatives and – in conjunction with other CUFO-supported programs including the CU Grow Vendor Development Program and Ascend NYC – helps support Columbia’s strong commitment to working with minority, women-owned, and locally based (MWL) businesses, with $1.2 billion dollars spent with MWL businesses over the last ten years.