Romila Singh
Assoc. Professor
UWM
Dr. Singh specializes in organizational behavior and human resource management. She teaches and conducts research on a variety of topics in these areas. In particular, her research focuses on examining attrition and persistence decisions of engineers, uncovering the drivers of engineers’ engagement with their workplaces, and identifying effective management practices for employees, with a special focus on leadership development for women and Under Represented Minority (URM) scientific and technical leaders.
p Romila was a co-principal investigator (with Dr. Nadya Fouad) on two large National Science Foundation (NSF) grants that investigated engineers’ persistence and turnover decisions and culminated in their groundbreaking report, “Stemming the tide.” Her latest NSF funded research project is on uncovering the dynamics that explain why some diverse engineering teams are more innovative than others. Romila’s research has appeared in leading journals in management and vocational behavior and has been cited in the Harvard Business Review, Washington Post, Huffington Post, and the Guardian. Currently, she is a Co-PI (with Dr. Nadya Fouad and Dr. Ed Levitas) on another NSF funded project that examines the link between team dynamics and innovation. /p
p Romila teaches courses in human resources management at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels and has been awarded the School of Business teaching award every year since 2002, including Lubar School’s Business Advisory Council Award for Teaching Excellence. She has co-chaired three dissertations and served on numerous doctoral dissertation committees for doctoral students from the Lubar School of Business, College of Nursing, and School of Education. /p
p Through her research, teaching, and professional activities, she trains, develops, advises, and mentors students and professionals on the best practices in human resource management. She serves as the faculty advisor for the student chapter of Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) at UWM, and has supervised over 100 HR internships. In recognition of her time, service, and leadership, she was twice named the UWM Outstanding Advisor of the Year by the Student Organization Advising and Resources (SOAR) and Center for Student Involvement (CIE) offices. /p
Laura Royster
Managing Partner
SaxonHamilton
Senior Consultant and Managing Partner
Saxon-Hamilton
Laura Royster is a senior consultant and managing partner of Saxon-Hamilton’s Management Consulting Group. The firm works across organizational functions, usually under the auspices of the CEO and senior management, to help clients understand what is impeding their progress and bring about specific changes. Saxon-Hamilton has been helping clients solve their most pressing problems or seize their most promising opportunities since 1989.
Laura presented as part of a panel on this topic at the 2018 ENR Groundbreaking Women in Construction conference (GWIC) in San Francisco.
In her role, Laura provides advice and counsel in the executive development/coaching of senior executive officers and managers; assesses organizational effectiveness and morale, develops programs for improvement, helps organizations establish or restructure, works with leadership and project teams to enhance their alignment and productivity. She also provides dynamic facilitation and strategic guidance for groups of all sizes, helping them with planning, implementation and departmental optimization.
In her work with senior executives and leadership teams, Laura draws from her own experience as well as the firm’s thirty years of research and practical expertise in human behavior and group dynamics. She has deep empathy for senior executives willing to undertake the challenges of leadership with courage and discipline and helps them confront those challenges and embrace the rewards of ultimate responsibility.
Her work with leading regional and national engineering and construction firms has provided varied and rewarding opportunities to demystify successful leadership and champion women in AEC to lead with creativity and confidence
Angela H. Cotie
Project Executive
Gilbane Building Co., Houston
A project executive for Gilbane, Angela has been involved with many high-profile projects during her 22 years that have received multiple local, national and international awards.
A Penn State graduate, Angela was an ENR Texas/Louisiana Top 20 under 40 in 2015 and a 2018 STEAM Role Model for Houston Women’s Chamber. She is working with the AGC starting a local Women in Construction initiative and was a featured panelist at the 2018 ENR Groundbreaking Women in Construction conference.
Angela is ACE Mentor Houston’s Chairman of the Board, a board member for PSU’s Architectural Engineering Program, a Galveston Career Connect leader, HISD chamber member, and active with her children’s school, FFA and activities.
Debra K. Rubin (Moderator)
Editor-at-Large, Business and Energy
Engineering News-Record
Expertise: Global Energy/Energy Transition, Global Companies and Management, Workforce
Suzanne Motica
Vice President, Services Delivery
InEight
As vice president of services delivery at InEight, Suzanne Motica is responsible for customer success, client solutions, service delivery, training and the company’s project management office.
Previously, Suzanne was product management director within the Kiewit Technology Group. She helped set the company’s strategy and roadmap for new product development, along with enhancements to existing technology. Her team played a critical role in training employees on how to use technology to improve operations.
Suzanne led Kiewit’s efforts to continuously improve technology, buying or building new solutions to help Kiewit deliver projects on time and on budget. She worked directly with key business stakeholder groups who provide input on the company’s product roadmap.
Her 20 years of construction and engineering experience has enabled her to drive solutions that will solve process gaps with technology. Understanding the actual work and business processes has helped her take on several key leadership roles through the course of her career.
Under Suzanne’s leadership since 2018, the InEight services delivery team has been focused on training in both construction and engineering processes and best practices in product implementation. In addition to formal training, they visit jobsites to gain firsthand knowledge and work closely with clients to ensure customer satisfaction. The result is a more customer-focused approach to delivering technology that meets the needs of the business.