Worcester Business Journal

18 Worcester Business Journal | September 30, 2024 | wbjournal.com PHOTO | MATT WRIGHT F O C U S OUTSTANDING WOMEN IN BUSINESS AWARDS BY ERIC CASEY WBJ Staff Writer A graduate of Worcester's North High School and College of the Holy Cross, Elizabeth Wambui's career has seen her give back to the region where she grew up, while wearing a wide variety of hats. Aer working at the American Red Cross, Wambui later moved on to the Nativity School of Worcester, where she spent about five years helping the tuition-free Jesuit middle school cultivate relationships with Wambui is building a more equitable construction industry Elizabeth Wambui Director of diversity, inclusion, and community impact Fontaine Bros., in Springfield and Worcester Residence: Worcester Education: Bachelor's degree in political science from College of the Holy Cross Who is your hero? Women, all over the world, who under great risk to their lives, advocate for rights and freedoms for themselves and others. The courage they display despite the risks is truly inspiring. Since you started your career, how have things changed for women in the professional world? The increased investments in professional development and mentorship have changed greatly. The mentorship of female leaders throughout my career has played a crucial role in my professional and personal development. What obstacles do women in the workplace face today? In addition to the wage gaps between men and women that continue to persist, representation in leadership positions, particularly for women of color, is a challenge. As leaders, we must prioritize creating equitable pathways to management and leadership for women in our organizations. local businesses and foundations and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy. In the summer of 2021, Wambui made a daring leap into the corporate world by joining the Fontaine Bros., a fourth-generation, family-owned business based in Springfield with a growing Worcester office. Wambui became Fontaine's first director of diversity, inclusion, and impact in the company's 91-year history. "She has a real impact across the region and beyond in creating career opportunities in the construction industry for the next generation of tradespeople including women, veterans, and people of color," said David Fontaine, CEO of Fontaine Bros. Wambui's experience with relationship building is put to good use at Fontaine Bros., where her duties include ensuring the company meets its own workforce diversity standards while seeking out minority- and woman- owned business enterprises to ensure compliance with bid requirements. ese can be difficult to meet, with a limited number of certified MBEs and WBEs in Massachusetts. "At first, I was definitely scared, because I knew nothing of the corporate space," Wambui said. "But I finally decided to move forward with it, and it's been awesome. Like anything else, relationship building is huge." ese initiatives have paid dividends, ensuring the company's projects are reflective of the communities they operate in and opening paths into the field for people traditionally le out of the construction industry, Wambui said. "Equity is progressing," she said. "When you see not just municipalities but higher education institutions and anchor institutions like hospitals that ensure real attention is being paid to make sure that if they are doing a project, big or small, that they are paying attention [to equity.] It's a priority, and that's encouraging." Part of Wambui's responsibilities include organizing tours of projects for youth. is provides her with a platform to show the next generation of potential industry employees the realities of modern construction sites, where new technology is being introduced all the time. "It's really important to show them the construction process as much as possible," she said, "We're using all sorts of construction technologies, so they can see how that works and how we use it in real time. It helps dispel myths they might have." A well-experienced fundraiser for organizations like the Red Cross and Nativity School, Wambui was the perfect person to help Fontaine Bros. launch its own platform for giving. Announced in 2022, e Fontaine

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