WOMEN BUILD SAN DIEGO WE HELP THEM LEAD IT
The Professional Women in Building Council of the Building Industry Association of San Diego County advances the careers and visibility of women across the home building industry, from the job site to the C suite, through mentorship, education, workforce development, and advocacy within BIA San Diego.
Staff Contact:
JOIN THE PROFESSIONAL WOMEN IN BUILDING
FOR INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS
MEMBER
$100 Per Year
For women working across building, development, the trades, design, and the professions that support them. PWB members must work for a current BIA San Diego member company.
- Mentorship and leadership programming
- Networking, events, and advocacy
- NAHB Building Women publications and resources
- Access to BIA San Diego, CBIA, and NAHB
STUDENTS, HIGH SCHOOL THROUGH COLLEGE
Student
Free to Students
Still in school? Your seat is already saved. Join as a student member and you carry founding member status from day one, a distrinction only available during our 2026 charter year.
- A mentor who’s already where you want to be, so you’re not guessing your way into the job market alone
- Real conversations with the people who hire in this field, long before you’re the one sending applications into the void
- A map of every career this industry actually holds, so “what if I don’t want to do exactly what I studied” has an anwser
WHO WE ARE
PWB San Diego is more than a networking group. It works across every corner of building and development in the region, from the trades to the boardroom, and it functions as four things at once. We do it through professional development, mentorship, workforce pipeline expansion, leadership cultivation, community engagement, and strategic advocacy with BIA San Diego. From the trades to the boardroom, we invest in women at every stage of the climb.
We advance the careers and visibility of women in the home building industry, and we build the pipeline our industry needs to thrive.
OUR VISION
A thriving, equitable building industry where women are empowered leaders at every level, from the job site to the C suite, driving innovation, workforce excellence, and community transformation in San Diego.
Why It Matters
The industry can't build what's coming without more women.
Construction is facing a workforce cliff. The people who build San Diego are aging out faster than they can be replaced, while demand for housing keeps climbing. The math does not work without the industry’s largest untapped talent pool: women.
41%
of today’s construction workforce is projected to retire by 2031.
NCCER
349K to 456K
new workers needed nationally across 2026 and 2027.
ABC, JAN 2026
2.2M
new skilled workers needed over the next three years.
NAHB
42
is the median age of the construction labor force.
NAHB
HOW WE WORK
Not a networking group. Four things at once.
Each pillar carries part of the mission: developing the workforce, mentoring women, raising their visbility, and advocating for the industry.
01 Workforce Development
We build the pipeline the industry needs, recruiting student, career changers, and women into building careers through outreach, education, and school and trade partnerships, then connecting them to real jobs with BIA member companies.
02 Mentorship
We connect women with mentors already in the field, and create the programming that helps them grow from a first job to the C suite.
03 Visibility & Voice
We put women in building in front of the room: signature events, media coverage, and storytelling that make their work seen and their voices heard.
04 Advocacy
We turn workforce and housing data into action, and represent women builders before the boards and agencies that shape our industry.
FOUNDING SPONSORS
The firms who funded year one and bet on the women building San Diego.
FOUNDING SPONSORSHIPS ARE STILL OPEN
From $1,000 a year
Put your firm behind the women shaping San Diego’s built environement, and reach an audience that matters
- Brand visibility across our year
- Access to a leadership network
- Co-branded content and events
- Founding sponsor recognition
GET INVOLVED: PWB SAN DIEGO SUBCOMMITTEES
Every PWB San Diego member is invited to join a subcommittee. This is where the work happens, where relationships form, and where new members find their footing fastest. Pick the one that matches how you want to contribute. You can join more than one, and you can change later.
HOW IT WORKS
Tell your member liaison which subcommittee interests you, or email us at [email protected]. The chair will add you to the next meeting invite. Most subcommittees meet once a month by Zoom for about an hour, with a few hours of follow-through between meetings depending on what you take on.
Education, Workforce Development & Outreach
Chair: Brooke Velazquez (Bright Sky Recruiting) | Outreach leads: Linda Raymond, Six Star Framing & Lori Carpenter
This is PWB’s first pillar. We build the pipeline that brings the next generation of women into construction and helps them stay. Our work spans four pathways: high school students, at-risk youth, college students at SDSU, USD, and UCSD, and career changers entering the industry later. We partner with Future Construction Leaders, university career centers, and the Jobs2Build platform to connect students with mentors, interships, and real jobs.
Membership
Chair: Alexandria willians, the Baldwin Company | Vice Chair: Victoria Drake, ENGEO
Grow PWB San Diego and make sure every new member feels welcome from day one. Membership owns the prospect pipeline, the onboarding experience, and the buddy system that pairs each new member with a liaison who helps find her place. We also lead the student ambassador program that connects PWB to campuses across San Diego County.
Programs & Events
Chair: Heather Schmitt, Jacob Tyler Brand + Digital Agency | Vice Chair: Victoria Drake, ENGEO
Help create the moments members remember: panels, happy hours, and events that put women in building in front of the wider industry. Each event’s format is shaped by what we learn from the last one. From our sold-out She Builds launch to member happy hours across the county, this is the team that makes PWB visible.
Communications
Chair: Judy tran, the baldwin company
Tell PWB’s story. Manage social media content, digital member spotlights, and our regional photo/video library. Coordinates closely with BIA San Diego’s communications team.
Advocacy
Chair: Nilay Barefiled, Tax & Financial Group
Ensure women in building have a strong voice in industry decisions. Tracks San Diego housing policy, local permitting/ fee reform, and statewide ballot measures. Works directly alongside BIA San Diego’s government-affairs team and Build SD PAC so PWB members understand what is at stake and how to engage.
BOARD MEMBERS
Nichole Weinman
Chair
JAAM Electric & Low Voltage
Nilay Barefield
Vice Chair
Tax & Financial Group
Alexandria Williams
Secretary/ Treasurer
The Baldwin Company
