Women Play a Key Role in Building Construction Career Pathways

To celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, NAHB is spotlighting an individual who has dedicated her career to inspiring the next generation of residential construction industry leaders.

Women contribute significantly to the residential construction industry and dedicate time to inspire the next generation of home builders. Dr. Andrea Ofori-Boadu, associate professor with the Department of Built Environment at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) in Greensboro, is one individual leading the way to encourage more women to explore architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) career pathways.

Dr. Ofori-Boadu serves as a mentor to female construction students. She has secured scholarships, internships, mentorships and other professional development resources for her mentees. In addition, Ofori-Boadu co-coaches the NAHB student competition team at N.C. A&T and was recently awarded Outstanding Educator of the Year by NAHB.

An NAHB initiative Ofori-Boadu is excited about this year is participating in NAHB’s Student Chapters and Workforce Development team’s first-ever Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Student and Faculty Leadership program. This new initiative aims to expand opportunities with students from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) through leadership development seminars and networking opportunities throughout the year.

“I am delighted and appreciative of the opportunity to collaborate with NAHB to strengthen the leadership skills of undergraduate and graduate Construction Management students at N.C. A&T,” said Ofori-Boadu.

Inspired by her dad, Ofori-Boadu’s professional journey began in Ghana, where she loved math, science and art as a girl. A friend introduced her to a building technology program, which combined engineering and management principles and she later earned her Ph.D. from Indiana State University.

Ofori-Boadu finds that women are interested in the home building industry because it feels like a more personal and people-oriented career. In 2019, she received a National Science Foundation (NSF) award, which helped establish the Emerging Built Environment Women (EBEW) Center at N.C. A&T, providing mentoring, professional development, scholarships, internships, informal learning experiences, and other resources to girls and women interested in AEC career pathways.

For more information about becoming a mentor in your community, visit NAHB’s Workforce Development Champions page and meet other inspiring women in the industry on NAHB’s Professional Women in Building Council (PWB) page.