“My hope is that someday a woman can enter this industry… regardless of whether she fits someone else’s idea of what a construction leader looks like.” 

 Jennifer Dewees didn’t grow up planning a career in construction. In fact, she entered the industry for a decidedly ordinary reason: she answered a newspaper ad. Although the beginning was simple, the impact was not. Her time in the construction industry shaped her values, her leadership philosophy, and her determination to give more women a place in this professional community. 

Today, Jenn is President of the Maryland Center for Construction Education & Innovation (MCCEI), Maryland’s statewide workforce intermediary for the construction and built environment industries. She is also a longtime NAWIC leader, former Northeast Region Director, National Board Member, founder of Camp NAWIC Baltimore, and a 2026 NAWIC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. 

“My first job in construction was as a marketing coordinator with the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company in 2000,” she explains. “I saw an ad for a job, applied, and ended up entering an industry that would completely change the course of my career.” 

Jennifer was hooked from the start. Her career journey moved beyond its roots in marketing and business development, and expanded into project and quality control roles. 

 “I loved the tangible nature of the work ” she says, “and the idea that, at the end of the day, you can point to something and say, ‘We built that.’” 

That accidental introduction to construction ultimately helped shape the work she does today. She emphasizes, “So much of the work I do is about making sure the next generation doesn’t have to discover this industry by accident.” 

Earlier in her career, Jenn felt passed by. She watched  people, many trained by her, receive opportunities ahead of her. When she eventually left that company, she remembers explaining in an exit interview that she was taking a job with much better pay. Her exit interviewer replied in surprise, “But your husband already has a great job.” 

Jenn was stunned. “That moment has stayed with me because it reflected an assumption that my career, compensation, and ambition somehow mattered less because I was a woman with a spouse who earned a good living.” 

Yet she has also experienced the other side of the industry: people willing to recognize talent and open doors. “I have had mentors, colleagues, and champions, both women and men,” she notes, “who have opened doors, encouraged me to lead, and trusted me with opportunities before I even knew I was ready for them.” 

That kind of support allowed her to progress in her field, despite the odds. “I love that I get to build things,” she adds, “even though what I build today isn’t necessarily a physical structure. I build programs, partnerships, organizations, career pathways, and opportunities.” 

Through MCCEI, Jenn works to introduce students and educators to construction careers and connect people with education, training, apprenticeships, and employers. Among her proudest achievements is founding Camp NAWIC Baltimore, which gives girls an opportunity to experience construction firsthand and see women working throughout the industry. 

“The accomplishments I am proudest of all have one thing in common,” Jennifer stresses, “They all allow me to create opportunities that did not previously exist.” 

She believes improved recruitment of women is only the beginning. “I want the next generation of women to spend less time proving that they belong. We must look at retention, advancement, workplace culture, flexibility, pay equity, and who gets identified as having leadership potential.” 

Ultimately, she wants women to be judged on what they bring to the job. “My hope is that someday a woman can enter this industry and simply be evaluated on her talent, ambition, and contribution, regardless of whether she fits someone else’s idea of what a construction leader looks like.” 

Jenn makes clear that NAWIC gave her critical leadership opportunities she wasn’t receiving elsewhere. Through the organization, she learned important career skills such as how to run meetings, build consensus, speak publicly, manage volunteers, develop programs, and navigate difficult conversations. 

Just as importantly, NAWIC introduced her to women who encouraged her to think bigger. “Some of the most important leadership experiences of my career happened because NAWIC gave me a place to practice them.” 

Jenn’s advice is straightforward, “Find your people. Find the women who will answer your questions, who will say your name in rooms you’re not in, push you toward opportunities you aren’t sure you’re ready for, and remind you of your value when you need it.” 

She emphasizes, “The industry needs far more than people who grew up reading blueprints or using power tools. It needs project managers, estimators, engineers, accountants, marketers, attorneys, technologists, tradespeople, executives, entrepreneurs, and everything in between.” 

And once you arrive? Then return the favor. 

“When you reach a position where you can open a door for someone else,” she advises, “hold it open.”