PWC presents Salute to Women of Achievement.

The annual Salute to Women of Achievement luncheon, hosted by Professional Women in Construction (PWC), recognizes the major contributions that women have made in construction, real estate development and related industries.

Founded in 1980 by a dozen women, PWC is a nonprofit association committed to advancing professional, entrepreneurial and managerial opportunities for women in construction and allied fields. The organization now reaches a constituency of well over 10,000.

An active networking organization and information resource, PWC has done much to mainstream women into the business sector and to educate the public in the achievements of women in the industry. The association disseminates and spreads valuable information through seminars, monthly meetings, a trade show, golf outings and other special events and via its website: www.pwcusa.org.

PWC serves on the board of New York Women's Agenda and is a member of the New York Building Congress, the National Council of Women, NY / LI One Call Center and the US Women's Chamber of Commerce.

Membership in PWC is open to individual women and men as well as private companies and public agencies that support the aims of the organization.

Guest of Honor

Patricia J. Lancaster, FAIA 

Commissioner, NYC Department of Buildings

Patricia J. Lancaster, FAIA was appointed Commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in April 2002. She is a New York State Registered Architect and Fellow of the American Institute of Architects with more than 20 years experience in public/ private construction partnerships, teaching, and public service for the City of New York.

As Buildings Commissioner, Lancaster is responsible for setting local construction standards, enforcing the Building Code and Zoning Resolution, and regulating New York City's construction trades.

Dedicating her first four years to bringing transparency, accountability and efficiency to the Department of Buildings, Commissioner Lancaster has created a work structure that deters corruption, demands accountability, and improves the speed and quality of services that the department delivers to its customers. Determined to enhance building performance under catastrophic conditions, Commissioner Lancaster is also spearheading the effort to adopt a new Building Code for the City of New York.

Commissioner Lancaster's passion for buildings and dedication to safety is evident in the many honors she has received as Buildings Commissioner. These include: BTEA's Safety Award for Outstanding Service (2005); New York Building Congress Special Recognition Award (2005); ABO of Greater New York's "Woman of the Year" (2003); and Architecture, Construction and Engineering Mentor Program's "Mentor of the Year" (2003). Additionally, Real Estate Weekly has twice named her as one of the top 100 Women in Real Estate, both in 2000 and 2004.

PWC, always ahead of the pack, honored Lancaster as "Woman of the Year" in 1996.

Honorees

Flora Ramos

Project Manager

Tishman Construction

Corporation of New York

Flora Ramos, a project manager for Tishman Construction Corporation, has been with the company since 1993. She has worked on many high-profile projects, including the Continental Airlines Global Gateway Program at Newark Liberty International Airport, and Claremont Tower (the regional FBI Headquarters in downtown Newark). She is currently part of Tishman's team leading construction of the new 7 World Trade Center (WTC), the Goldman Sachs World Headquarters, and the Freedom Tower at the WTC site.

In her specialized project management capacity, Ramos performs outreach and field coordination with minority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBE). She serves as the liaison between Tishman and M/WBE firms by working closely with state certifying agencies, clients, and majority contractors.

Currently, Ramos is working to meet 7 WTC's M/WBE goals, and focusing on the broader initiative of providing increased opportunities to M/WBE contractors on the historic rebuilding of the original WTC site--including the Freedom Tower.

She is also responsible for attaining Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits, and played an instrumental role in 7 WTC gaining Gold status as NYC's first LEED-certified office building.

Additionally, Ramos is an active member of The Port Authority of NY and NJ's "Mentor/Protege Program" to foster the growth of M/WBE contractors and facilitate their inclusion on Tishman projects.

Ramos holds a B.S. in sociology, an M.S. in special education, and is pursuing a Certificate in Project Management.

Dolly Williams

CEO and Owner

A. Williams Construction Co.

Dolly Williams is an owner and CEO of the Brooklyn-based A. Williams Construction Company. Founded over 25 years ago, this family business, which now includes two children, has grown to be a major construction company in New York City, providing a wide range of services to both the private and public sectors. Starting off in the trucking business with one secondhand dump truck, Williams successfully applied to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for working capital and equipment loans. She quickly expanded the company's capabilities to include excavation, foundation work and design/build. She credits the SBA with putting A. Williams Construction on track.

Some of the most notable public projects include work on The Nehemiah Houses, the VA Hospital in The Bronx, African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan, many DASNY projects and, most recently, the general construction of the Business School for Medgar Evers College. The company's many private sector clients include P.C. Richards & Son, Modells, and GM Automall among others.

Williams attended St. Francis College. Recognized for her strong commitment to the welfare of the general community, she was appointed to the NYC Planning Commission in 2003. Formerly the chair of the Caribbean American Center of New York, she serves on numerous boards and has received many prestigious awards including Crain's Small Business Award and the U.S. SBA's Contractor of the Year Award.

Patricia Hunt

Director of Real Estate and Facilities

Day Berry & Howard

Patricia Hunt (Pat) is currently the director of real estate and facilities for the law firm, Day Berry & Howard. She is responsible for all real estate and office services activities at the firm's seven locations in Connecticut, Boston and New York. She recently convinced the firm's partners to relocate the Hartford office, after 20 years at City Place I, saving the firm over $11 million.

Prior to joining Day Berry & Howard, Hunt worked for Bank of America, as the New York City Portfolio Asset Manager, managing over three million square feet for various lines of businesses including global corporate and investment banking. Her responsibilities included acquisition and disposition activities, strategic planning, and management of facility

partner relationships related to project, property and operations. She managed an annual operating budget of $300 million and an average annual capital investment budget of $100 million.

Prior to joining Bank of America, Hunt was with JP Morgan Chase for 20 years leading the Retail Real Estate Portfolio Planning Group, managing the tri-state and Texas regions. Her responsibilities included strategic and tactical planning, acquisition and disposition of locations, transaction management, regulatory reporting, financial analysis and project management.

Hunt holds an MBA in Finance from Hofstra University and has an RPA designation from BOMI institute.

Maria Rosenfeld

Vice President, Project Management

The Moinian Group

Maria Rosenfeld, vice president, project management for the Moinian Group, is responsible for all phases of development, including public reviews, project financing, design development and project administration during construction. Rosenfeld's recent completed projects include Marc, 260 W. 54th Street, a $135 million construction project with 393 residential apartments funded with New York State Housing Revenue Bonds and 90 Washington Street, which included the residential conversion of a 27-story office building into 398 residential apartments funded with New York City Liberty Bonds.

Rosenfeld's current projects include the $100 million redevelopment of 20 West Street, formerly the Downtown Athletic Club, into 283 residential condominiums with a state-of-the-art fitness center, the $200 million 53-story mixed-use luxury hotel and condominium project at 123 Washington Street and the $340 million development of Atelier at 635 W. 42nd Street, a 500,000 s/f mixed-use development.

Before joining The Moinian Group in 2000, Maria was director, planning & design for the 42nd Street Development Project, the New York State entity responsible for the redevelopment of 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues. Rosenfeld specialized in land use management and corporate assistance projects for the law firm Stadtmauer Bailkin. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College and a Master of Science degree in Urban Planning from Columbia University.

Awards Presenters

Victoria Sta. Iglesia

President and CEO

Accu-Cost Construction Consultants, Inc.

Victoria Sta. Iglesia, president and CEO of Accu-Cost Construction Consultants, Inc. has over 35 years of construction cost consulting experience and is responsible for managing the business and affairs of the corporation as well as the managerial operations of the firm, including financial decisions, contract negotiations, job proposals, marketing and sales, and general production.

Sta. Iglesia worked in Manhattan in various cost estimating positions before founding Accu-Cost in 1993. It has become a highly successful M/WBE firm. Her expertise covers: construction cost estimating; engineering studies; construction cost engineering; value engineering; cost analysis; and change order analysis. In project management she is knowledgeable in construction management; contract administration; and design-build services.

Sta. Iglesia also has expertise in construction disputes and forensic analysis, which adds an important element to Accu-Cost services. She provides analysis and support for the resolution of construction disputes in forensic engineering, cost overruns, construction delays, escalation impact, design related problems, construction problems, document management, discovery analysis and quantification, and analysis of damages.

The only female in a class of 200 males, she graduated with a bachelor of science in civil engineering from Mapua Institute of Technology, Manila, Philippines and is a professional civil engineer, No. 9261. She is a member of ASCE, AACE, SWE, PWC, NSPE and was in Who's Who Among Outstanding Americans 1995-1996 Edition.

Marylou Berk

Chief Administration Officer, Americas

Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein

Marylou Berk is a senior real estate/ construction executive whose proven ability to succeed in challenging, high stress environments combined with her real estate strategy and keen knowledge of construction has made her a key player in the industry. She has served as the chief administration officer, Americas, with Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein since 2003.

From 1996-2003, she was at SOFTBANK as director of operations, and at Ziff-Davis, as corporate vice president where she directed global real estate and construction. From 1994-1996 Berk was global director of administrative services at The Associated Press. From 1989-1994, Berk's consulting firm, M&L Corporation, provided real estate, banking, construction, and operations management services.

At The Progress Group, a real estate/owner/development company (1984-1989), Berk led leasing, construction and marketing/sales. Her early real estate experience was at The Monchik-Weber Corp. which was taken public, sold to McGraw-Hill and became a Harvard Business School case study.

Her industry awards include the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Corporate Real Estate Executive of the Year Award and Presidency for NACORE NY Chapter (now Corenet); Construction Executive of the Year Award from PWC, and Executive of the Year Award from NAWIC. She had taught real estate leasing at the NY Bar Association and negotiating to corporate presidents.

Tonia Smith

Vice President

Wal-Mart Realty

Tonia L. Smith has extensive experience in real estate, IT, facilities, construction and purchasing. Her career spans over 20 years where she has consistently integrated expertise from two or more of these disciplines. Her strategic prowess has resulted in the pioneering and/or refining of IT, CAFM, facilities and purchasing units and strategies in Fortune 100 companies in the healthcare, pharmaceutical and--most recently--retail industries.

Smith began her career at Aetna as an internal consultant, reengineering processes and leading systems development. In her last role at Aetna, she implemented the first computer aided facilities management and computerized maintenance management systems.

Recruited by Pfizer Inc, Smith was with its Global Sourcing department for eight years. She was instrumental in framing Pfizer's world headquarters construction master planning sourcing strategy for the pharmaceutical giant's 685 3rd Avenue site as well as design, construction, programming and architectural agreements impacting the major renovation of the entire New York campus.

Smith recently accepted an exciting and challenging role in Wal-Mart Realty: vice president of purchasing goods that are not for resale (GNFR). She is responsible for organizational realignment, process, technology, supplier management and strategic sourcing innovation.

A graduate of Virginia State University where she earned a BS degree in business administration with concentrations in IT and real estate, she holds the Master of Corporate Real Estate designation from CoreNet where she develops and teaches at seminars created in partnership with some of the thought leaders in the industry.