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Empowering Women in Construction: Candice Offonry’s Vision for Diversity and Leadership in the Industry

Candice Offonry of VCC shares her vision for advancing women in the construction industry by building structured pathways from entry-level roles to executive leadership. The conversation addresses the persistent gender barriers in construction and highlights strategies for fostering diversity and inclusion. Her approach emphasizes intentional mentorship, advocacy, and organizational commitment to equity.

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By Engineering And Construction · Candice OffonryDiversity in ConstructionVccWomen in Construction
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Key takeaways

01

Women in construction face systemic gender barriers that require intentional organizational strategies to overcome.

02

Building clear pathways from entry-level to executive roles is critical for retaining and advancing women in the industry.

03

Leadership commitment and mentorship programs are key drivers of lasting diversity and inclusion in construction.

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How can women reshape a historically male-dominated industry and carve out their leadership path in construction? VCC honors Women in Construction Week with thoughts from Candice Offonry, the Talent Acquisition Manager at VCC. Offonry brings invaluable perspective to this question, advocating for diversity and offering a blueprint for women's growth in construction, from internships to executive roles.

“It's very rewarding to be able to encourage and inspire other young women to want to, you know, join the field, be able to grow their career, whether it's coming in as an intern and maybe moving up to an executive leadership role one day,” Offonry said.

It's very rewarding to be able to encourage and inspire other young women to want to, you know, join the field, be able to grow their career, whether it's coming in as an intern and maybe moving up to an executive leadership role one day.
— Candice Offonry, Talent Acquisition Manager at VCC

Video TranscriptExpand ↓

I was inspired to pursue a career in the industry, because as a recruiter, I wanted to be able to help bring in more diverse talent into an area that has been historically male dominated. Very rewarding to be able to encourage and inspire other young women to want to, you know, join the field, be able to grow their career, whether it's coming in as an intern and maybe moving up to an executive leadership role one day. I think it's very rewarding to be able to contribute to that. Those that are surprised that I worked in the construction industry, I let them know that there are tons of opportunities to grow, within, you know, a really, you know, exciting and growing field, whether it's, you know, human resources, IT, marketing, operations, you know, wanting BSC Brinton at one day. There are tons of opportunities and surprisingly you can grow quickly within the industry. Advice that I would give to, you know, women that are considering joining the industry is definitely be your own best advocate, be confident and know that you bring something very unique to the table.

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National general contractor delivering complex commercial projects since 1987.

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Candice Offonry

VCC

Candice Offonry is a construction industry leader at VCC who advocates for diversity and gender equity in the built environment. She focuses on creating intentional pathways for women to advance from entry-level positions into executive leadership roles within construction.

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