CIEF - Construction Industry Education Foundation
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OWN YOUR SUPEHERPOWER!

Moderator:

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Teri Cruz, Vice President | Sixth Dimension | CMAA Executive Board

Teri offers a wealth of knowledge gained from 25 years engaged in the AEC industry. She currently serves as Vice President to Sixth Dimension PMCM, Inc. Teri began her career in the AEC industry as an assistant project manager for a mid-sized engineering firm and has served in roles of Sr. Project Manager, Director, and Vice President of Business Strategy for engineering and construction management firms at the local and national level. She has spent the bulk of her career in close collaboration with clients, helping them achieve their individual goals and objectives. With a solid reputation as a trusted advisor, Teri provides informed guidance on complex leadership, operational, and strategic issues. Teri loves camping on the river, wine tasting, and has a new-found fondness of fishing and golfing when no one is keeping score. She is a Bay Area native and enjoys adventuring through life with her family and friends. Teri is a fierce advocate for woman striving to optimize their voice and position in all lanes of life.

Panelists:

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Carla Collins, VP/Senior Project Manager | UER Group | MatriScope/Signet | CMAA Past President
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Carla Collins is the Vice President and Senior Project Manager for United Engineering Resources (UER); parent company to MatriScope Engineering Labs and Signet Testing Labs providing geotechnical engineering, special inspections and materials testing services throughout Northern California. She’s been active in the construction and business community throughout her career. This is Carla’s 8th year on the Board of Directors for the CMAA NorCal Chapter, was the President in 2021 and is now serving as an Ex-Officio. She previously sat on the ULI Sacramento Advisory Board, was a recipient for the Top 40 Under 40 Award by the Sacramento Biz Journal; this last year she received an Industry Leader Award, and National Chairs Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
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Victoria Vicente, Associate Executive Director of Project Delivery, Interim Director of Compliance and Campus Architect | UC Davis Health
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Vicky leads three business lines within in our Division, including Capital Projects, Capital Infrastructure, and Special Projects. She is responsible for resource allocation, establishing team performance goals, and standardizing project delivery activities through the entire lifecycle (from design through closeout.) In Vicky’s interim position, she leads the Building Department, Contracts and Inspectors. As the Campus Architect, she oversees the design guidelines and standards for the campus. Vicky has dedicated the majority of her 20 year career to healthcare planning and design, and she has a passion for creating spaces that are functional, comforting, and healing. Vicky has a particular expertise in challenging, complex projects that require creative solutions within project constraints. Her approach to her work is the same no matter what challenges a particular project brings: collaboration and communication are the cornerstones of success and always top of mind.

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Jenny Derry, Director of Preconstruction | Flint Builders

Jenny Derry is Director of Preconstruction for Flint Builders in the Bay Area, where she directs design development and stakeholder engagement with a variety of clients, including K-12, community colleges, and universities. She has managed three facilities bond programs in California totaling $2 billion worth of educational facilities. Jenny regularly speaks at conferences around the country regarding educational construction, building program development and leadership in project management. She received her master’s degree in Project Management at Georgetown University.
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Brooke Higman, Project Executive | Boldt

Brooke has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry and currently serves as the Project Executive for The Boldt Company’s Sacramento region. She is experienced in multiple market sectors including commercial office, healthcare, education, hospitality, industrial, retail, life science, and medical manufacturing. Brooke brings her key skills of strategic planning, problem solving, training, client relations, schedule analysis, risk and cost management, safety, and quality control. The majority of her career has been focused in the Sacramento area where she has fostered and maintained long-lasting relationship with architects, design engineers, and the entire trade partner community. As a member of the Boldt senior leadership team, she provides mentorship to younger staff, develops opportunities for team growth, and is committed to nurturing a corporate culture of collaboration, continuous learning/improvement, and fun. Giving back to the community and “paying it forward” are values Brooke takes to heart. She looks for opportunities where she can share her passion for the construction industry and inspire others, especially young women considering a career path in construction.
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Laura DeGooyer, Capital Program Manager, Support Services | Lake Washington School District

​Laura is a certified project management professional with over 15 years of experience in the construction industry. Her career has included construction and project management of over $1Billion of projects in water/wastewater, aviation, education, healthcare, and justice facilities in various roles as a general contractor, owner’s representative, and owner. She currently provides leadership and direction over a $500M capital levy program for the second largest school district in Washington State.  Laura is passionate about process improvement and expanding diversity and inclusion goals in every facet of capital construction. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Gonzaga University.
© Copyright 1901-2023 Construction Industry Education Foundation
In Partnership with the Sacramento Regional Builders Exchange
​5370 Elvas Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95819 p: 916.442.8991
2001 Ross Avenue, Suite #700-182, Dallas, TX 75201 p: 214.241.1090
  • ABOUT
    • Board of Trustees
    • STAFF
    • DEI Statement
    • In The News
    • Job Opportunities
    • Grants
  • Programs
    • CREATE Mentoring Program
    • CREATE Summer Camp
    • Design Build >
      • Northern California
      • Southern California
      • North Texas
      • South Texas
    • NEXT Young Professionals
    • Scholarships
  • Get Involved
    • Committees
    • Mentoring
    • Instructors
    • Volunteer
  • Classes
  • Events
    • Crab Feed
    • St. Patrick's Day Brewfest
    • Spring Golf Tournament
    • Design Build Competition
    • Spring Clay Shoot
    • Golf Invitational
    • Charity Golf Classic
    • Brew Bikes
    • Harvest Fest BBQ
    • Tri-tip Shootout
    • Contractors Caring for Kids
    • Trades Day >
      • California >
        • Chico
        • Humboldt
        • Long Beach
        • Santa Cruz County
        • Riverside
        • Sacramento
        • San Joaquin
        • Tulare & Kings Counties
        • Turlock
      • Texas >
        • Houston
    • Women in Construction Conference
    • CREATE Awards Lunch
  • Calendar
  • Donate