She Wears Work Boots

Based in South-Western Ontario, Build a Dream is an organization that delivers specialized programs to encourage and empower women and girls to explore careers where women are under-represented, while also working to create a gender-balanced workforce and change global perspectives on women’s contribution to society.

McKenna Goodwin is a Red Seal Endorsed General Carpenter. She currently works for Build a Dream as a Career Coach, w...

Michelle McCollum has over 30 years of experience in construction. Her career started in Edinburgh, Scotland where she spent 15 years working in municipal government. In 2008, she and her family moved to Canada. 

Today, she is Vice-President, Facilities and Sustainability, for George Brown College where she leads the development and deployment of the sustainability strategy, campus planning and the evolution of the college’s physic...

McKenna Goodwin is a Red Seal Endorsed General Carpenter from Ottawa, Ontario. She started her apprenticeship framing houses at age 16 and completed her apprenticeship with UBCJA Local 93 at age 21.

Today, McKenna is a Career Coach for the non-profit organization Build a Dream and works directly with tradeswomen and industry partners to improve the recruitment, retention and support of tradeswomen. She is also the Vice-Chair of the...

Camryn Malaney grew up in a family deeply rooted in construction. Hailing from Buffalo, New York, she inherited her passion for the industry from her father, who has been working in development throughout her whole life.
Today, she is the Director of Construction for Habitat for Humanity South Sarasota. The role allows her to work in her deep-seated passion for community service and allows her to be not just a builder of structures...

Adrienne Clarke and Jami Snow return for a different kind of episode. Adrienne and Jami have worked together at Aecon just over a year leading an innovative joint venture called Aecon-Golden Mile. AGM was created to expand economic opportunities for residents of the Greater Golden Mile that are facing barriers to the labour market. 
In that short time they've each and both been active parts of some of Aecon's coolest initiatives an...

Dee Durant is an electrical apprentice working towards her 309A Construction Maintenance electrical license. She is also a KickAss careers ambassador, a co-host of a talk show called Building Resilience on YouTube, and a former Weston scholar.
Through her work and volunteerism, she encourages others to consider a career in the skilled trades, understand and end stigmas, and help to create a better workplace environment for all empl...

Jami Snow has been working in construction for 11 years. Starting out as a temporary ground person with IBEW, she worked as a labourer on a solar farm, assembling a-frames & installing solar panels. Over time, her passion for the industry grew as she completed heavy equipment training and got her AZ license.

In 2019, she saw a job posting for Aecon Women in Trades and joined the program. She's been with Aecon ever since working in ...

Cheyanne Hammell is the Manager of Special Projects for PCL Constructors, Toronto. In 2007 she graduated from Mohawk College with an Architectural Technology diploma in Construction Management. Today, with more than 18 years of experience in the construction industry, she is a visionary leader, driven and inspired by the thrill of construction and seeing the outcomes of hard work.
She is a member of PCL Toronto’s Diversity, Equity ...

Jamie McMillan became an ironworker in 2002 when women only represented 2% of ironworkers across Canada and the United States. In 2012 she founded KickAss Careers, a grassroots initiative creating awareness and encouraging those of all ages and walks of life to consider careers in underrepresented occupations through school and community outreach.
Jamie travels a lot, to speak all across North America. Her efforts have gained inter...

Just over a year ago, Jade Schaal was a teacher, specifically an ABA paraprofessional working with students on the autism spectrum.
A gut instinct told her that the trades needed to be her next adventure and she took a leap of faith. Today, she is a sheet metal apprentice working in an HVAC fabrication shop and attending school through the union 2 nights a week.
It's been just over a year since she stepped foot into Airside Sheet M...

Adrienne Clarke joined Aecon in 2006 and has worked in many areas including running the utility locate team, the change-management department, and project management of the training and innovation centre.
Today, in the position of General Manager she is responsible for Aecon Utilities Training and Innovation Centre, Aecon Golden Mile Joint Venture, and A3F which is a Joint Venture with the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation and A...

Victoria Monardo has been working in construction for 10 years. She is currently a full-time machine operator for a sewer and water crew with Hebster Construction.
Over the years she has developed a wide variety of skills within general construction especially in landscaping. In her spare time, she runs her own landscape construction business, building and installing everything from interlock and retaining walls to grass and garden...

Jess Deyong co-founded dollHOUSE design + build in April 2020 at the height of the Covid 19 pandemic. Over the next three years, Jess has guided the business through approximately 75 renovations to Century Homes in Hamilton, Ontario. From kitchens to bathrooms and basements to attics, Jess aims to juxtapose old and new to create vibrant, functional and stylish living spaces that work for each and every client. As part of the core o...

In a past life, Kelly McNamara worked as a Kinesiologist, doing functional assessments and ergonomic consulting for industry. Today she is an Apprentice Carpenter with Freestone Construction in Fernie, British Columbia.
Pursuing carpentry full-time has altered her trajectory in such a positive way that, as she says: "I can’t NOT share this journey." As a member of British Columbia Center for Women in the Trades initiatives and via ...