Department News
Celebrating Women in Construction
RALEIGH, N.C. (March 6, 2023) – In celebration of Women in Construction Week, Wake Tech proudly recognizes the women in our Facilities Operations division who play a vital role in the building, operating and maintaining of facilities across all our campuses. These talented professionals bring a variety of experience and expertise to the task of keeping our facilities safe, efficient and up to date – and offer innovative leadership to the design and construction of new facilities as we continue to grow.
"The number of women in the construction industry has grown immensely over the past two decades," says Jeff Carter, Wake Tech's vice president of facilities. "Women fill roles from administrative support to heavy equipment operators, job site superintendents and project managers. Highly skilled women make up nearly one-fifth of our Facilities Department. These women support our staff, faculty and students every day."
Kathy Monteiro, director of design and construction, has worked in the industry since 1984. She started with civil engineering and switched to architecture and never looked back. She enjoys seeing project drawings come alive and meeting people from all professions, learning from others and mentoring in return.
Carla Daniels, HUB coordinator, entered the construction field when a career change led her to the HUB office at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Now she enjoys supporting Historically Underutilized Businesses to help them achieve their goals.
Sarah Burnette, project manager, has worked in the construction industry for 15 years, the past three at Wake Tech. She loves to see the designs for new projects come to life and points out that it takes a team to make it happen.
Melissa Taylor, project manager, came to Wake Tech's Facilities Operations division nine years ago, while she was a Wake Tech student. She earned two associate degrees and is currently completing her bachelor's degree in Industrial Technology through Wake Tech's partnership with East Carolina University while working full time. It's no surprise that what she likes most is seeing hard work pay off.
Deborah Hutchins, facilities construction operations specialist, enjoys observing and learning about all the steps and processes that go on behind the scenes to build and maintain buildings. She loves helping others succeed.
Erica Wydrzynski is the work order coordinator in Facilities Management. She says it's a great way to utilize her skill set to help enhance college operations and quotes a recent article stating that facilities management is the "perfect combination of challenge and routine."
Angela Parrish, facilities contract coordinator, says the knowledge and interest in learning something new every day was the deciding factor in her career decision. She has developed great relationships with her customers and says her co-workers are like family.
Danielle Collins, assistant to the vice president, is the newest member of the Facilities Operations team. She is excited to start this new journey because of the opportunities, as well as the responsibilities, she will have.
