Define Your Own Success
Andrea Baker, Dream Collaborative
Dorri Giles Raposa, HDR (retired)
Lisa Ulbrich, Commodore Builders
Are you afraid to take risks for fear of setting your career back? Stuck in a role you don’t love, but can’t find a way around obstacles? Join our conversation and hear from experienced A/E/C professionals as they share the best advice they received from mentors, techniques to navigate difficult situations, and ideas to explore risk to your advantage. We’ll discuss how to break through barriers and define a role that is challenging without being daunting, and ways to bring more satisfaction to your day-to-day work. Our panel includes perspectives from engineering, architecture, business development and facilities management - with a combined 100 years of experience in our industry.
About Andrea
Andrea Baker has 30 years’ experience in architecture/engineering professional services. She is focused on business development, branding and communications, and strategic planning for consulting firms. Her passion is design consulting, architecture, and civil and environmental engineering. While with a US-based A/E firm, Baker supported the transition to an initial public offering and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance in the role of business analyst. She has supported due diligence and integration for more than 16 mergers and acquisitions. Baker values diversity, whether in team composition or client portfolio, and has experience with private and government clients, in both business development and operations roles. She has developed technical, marketing, and training materials across media types, as well as coaching professional-services interview teams on pursuits valued at $30M. Baker is driven to make her clients successful.
About Dorri
Dorri Giles Raposa recently retired after nearly 40 years in the AEC industry, most recently serving as senior vice president and global director of Client Development/Transport at HDR. Her responsibilities included the business development and sales of HDR’s $1 billion program in Transportation. Throughout her 25 years at HDR, Raposa was involved in many of the company’s most challenging and rewarding projects and initiatives. Since her retirement, has served on two Boards: the HDR Foundation, it’s philanthropic giving arm; and the Board of Advisors for HMMH.
About Lisa
Lisa Ulbrich, Vice President and Institutional Group Leader with Commodore Builders, brings a unique perspective to projects having worked on the Owner’s side and CM side. She has spent over 30 years in the construction industry and her unique background has enabled her to think like an owner and anticipate their needs. She works diligently with her project teams to instill this thinking on every project. Ulbrich focuses on helping clients to make smart, informed decisions at every stage of the project. She is a natural leader and a true builder. She has a deep understanding of building codes, how to work with subcontractors, and how to communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders to ensure desired finishes are executed on time. When Ulbrich first entered the industry after earning a degree in Construction Engineering from Arizona State University, there were very few women that chose this path. She has enjoyed watching the shift and seeing more and more women in all positions within the construction industry. Building a diverse and inclusive team and influencing the organizational structure has been a career highlight of hers. As a seasoned professional, Ulbrich completed her Master of Science in Innovation from Northeastern University. She thinks outside of the box and looks for opportunities to improve the client experience and efficiencies of teams working together.