7th Annual Women in Construction & Project Development

DATE: 25 May 2022
TIME: 4:30 - 7:00 PM
LOCATION: River Winds Farm & Estate - 121 Louden Rd, Saco, ME 04072
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If you are looking for our 2023 event, please click HERE.

We look forward to returning to our popular Women in Construction & Project Development event this spring with an in-person event at a
NEW venue!

We will be using a similar format again this year with fast-paced PechaKucha style presentations. PechaKucha is a visual form of storytelling inspired by the idea to “talk less, show more” using images. Our guest speakers will each deliver a short presentation, followed by a panel discussion. As always, we will provide drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and time to network with friends and colleagues.

This event is open to all women in the construction and project development industry, so please share with your friends and colleagues who may be interested in attending.

Meet Our Guest Speakers:

Sonia Barrantes, PE  –
CEO, Ripcord Engineering Inc.

Sonia is a former Naval Flight Officer who spent over a decade flying in carrier-based combat aircraft all over the country and the world.  She returned home to ME ten years ago, and eventually  opened Ripcord Engineering. Sonia is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the University of Maryland with an undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering and a graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering.  Sonia has significant experience in the design of advanced mechanical and plumbing systems for large multi-family apartment buildings, office buildings, libraries, and single-family homes.  She is dedicated to the design of buildings that are healthy and safe for the occupants and the planet.   Sonia is a registered engineer in ME, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York.

Christine Grimando, AICP  –
DIRECTOR, Planning & Urban Development – Portland, ME

Christine Grimando, AICP, is the Director of the Department of Planning & Urban Development for the City of Portland. Since joining the City of Portland in 2014, her work has included overseeing new development during a period of intensive growth and change in the city, the creation of Portland’s award winning comprehensive plan, and the first rewriting of the City’s Land Use Code in over half a century. Prior to Portland, she has worked as a planner in ME, Massachusetts and New York, and was a 2012 Urban and Regional Policy Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. She received her M.S. in Urban Planning from Columbia University.

Lisa Whited, MS, CIDQ –
FOUNDER / CHIEF TRANSFORMATION OFFICER,
Workplace Transformation Facilitation

Lisa Whited believes in the art of possibility. She has a passion for improving processes and workplaces and consults with companies large and small, local, and global. Lisa has a holistic outlook on work: it has a ripple effect on our communities, society, and the world. When work is better, our world is better. Harmonizing workplace management and sustainable practices, Lisa’s first book, Work Better. Save the Planet is for business leaders with vision, who value employee happiness and the planet’s future.

Meet Our Moderator:

Kevan Lee Deckelmann –
SHAREHOLDER & MEMBER BOD,
Bernstein Shur

With broad-based knowledge and experience, Kevan is a strategic advisor who helps companies protect and grow their businesses and the brands that represent them. An experienced negotiator who thrives in a fast-paced environment, she offers her clients guidance on a full range of issues – from acquisitions and divestitures to the laws and regulations governing media and marketing issues, including the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission. When needed in complex transactions, Kevan will assemble and lead the best team of legal subject matter experts to put your company on the path to success.

She credits time spent clerking in federal bankruptcy court for giving her insight into why companies fail—and how to help them prosper. As part of Bernstein Shur’s corporate governance and M&A practices, Kevan immerses herself in every aspect of each of her client’s operations.

Kevan is passionate about helping entrepreneurs overcome obstacles to reach sustained success. Her special expertise with limited liability companies earned her a place on the ME Bar Association committee charged with revising the State’s LLC statute, which focuses on freedom of contract.

Safety is our primary concern, so we will follow CDC guidelines and best practices for hosting an in-person gathering. 

If we need to cap attendance to promote social distancing, we will accommodate attendees according to order of registration.

For safety, we ask that everyone attending this event be fully vaccinated. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Currently, this event is scheduled to take place outside.

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at HERE.