Join us as we unfold the complex topics to discuss with your team, leadership, and Key Leaders.
Our goal is to share How to disarm the power of the question that makes us feel uncomfortable and switch it to a robust conversation of discovery and transition.
Moderator - Hilen Rocha - Owner
"Hilen Rocha started her own company, R Legacy Construction, a few years ago, with the goal to train young kids and to teach them both life and technical skills. She received her Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering at California State University, Fullerton, making her part of the 13% of females in that field. Now as a GC, she is one of just 9% of the females who work in the industry, of which an even smaller percentage of those are contractors. Hilen considers these statistics to be heartbreaking. She sees first-hand and daily the tough struggles women in these fields face, and feels they arise not from a matter of competence, but rather, the culture.
Her name in the original Hebrew means “fortress” and it’s been her mission to ensure that she lives up to that meaning. Being born in California but raised in Mexico she feels strong ties to her community and more so individuals who start from ""zero"". In her own words, Hilen says, “For the remainder of the time I am left on Earth and more so when I am gone, I will ensure I leave a legacy: I want people to remember what I did to make a difference. One of my missions is to let young girls and women see themselves represented in these fields, otherwise, how can they aspire to be someone they don’t know they can be?” We welcome Hilen to our board as a new director this year.
Speaker - Yun Day - Sr. Vice President Human Resources
Yun Day is the SVP of Human Resources at Del Amo Construction. She has over 25 years of experience as a human resources leader and is driven to optimize the employee experience. She has a track record of delivering improved capacity, growth, and transformation through human capital innovation. Yun’s expertise is in both operational and strategic HR practices and organizational development. She oversees all aspects of human resources planning and develops scalable infrastructure, policies, and programs to effectively support business growth and strategic business planning.
Speaker - Aliya Popatia - Senior Project Manager
After graduating from MIT with a degree in Architecture, Aliya joined LA Metro in strategic planning so she could be part of the renaissance of the ever evolving landscape of public transportation in the CIty. Aliya is deeply invested in projects and initiatives that enhance communities.
Building upon her commitment to community engagement, Aliya translated her professional experience into projects across the public sector, entertainment, non-profit and construction, informing a distinct perspective on cultivating teams in our industry. At Clark, Aliya has been part of numerous design-build projects, including the Long Beach Civic Center, Lincoln Park and currently The Heldman Center at West LA College.
Speaker - Cela Gallagher - Project Manager
Celestine (Cela) Gallagher has been with Skanska for over 15 yrs and has been instrumental in the construction of iconic Los Angeles projects such as the Expo Line, Regional Connector, and utilities project at LAX. She has been a key member of the project management team responsible for planning and overseeing projects to ensure they are on-schedule and on-budget while meeting project goals. Cela is the Los Angeles representative for the Institution of Civil Engineers, the world’s first professional engineering body. She helps guide the tough conversations to ensure that the knowledge and resources are available to encourage innovation in civil projects across the globe. In her current role, Cela is fully responsible for design, construction, quality, safety, environmental, and contract administration. As a woman in the industry, Cela fights an uphill battle as the direct line of communication to Skanska executive management.
