Three Asian American women in construction swap tales of their experiences – good, bad, and mostly good! ENR editors Aileen Cho and Eydie Cubarrubia interview Dianne Lee, Kitchell’s executive director of business development and strategy and an A/E/C transformational leader who tirelessly advocates for diversity and inclusion in the industry – while brokering billion-dollar deals, feeding the homeless, putting in a good word for yoga and plugging her new book, “Leveraging Stereotypes.”

J.J. Eden, executive director of the N.C. Turnpike Authority, talks to us about the past, present and future of highway tolling and mobility. Your toll pass might be more than you ever imagined.

Wiss Janney Elstner Associate Director Blake Andrews talks to us about starting and managing a new London office during the pandemic, the changing face of structural fire protection in the UK post-Grenfell and how engineering problem solving, itself, is changing. We also discuss new materials and investigation techniques and how they are changing the way forensic engineers approach their work in the U.S. and U.K.

After planning most of her life to be a college basketball coach, Jeannie Cullen-Schultz decided that while she loved the game, she did not want to make it her career. After discussions with her father, Mark, and several women in construction, she finished her educational leadership thesis while working on her second master’s degree in construction management and returned to her family’s business, JP Cullen in Janesville, Wis., as a fifth-generation owner and created the general contractor’s health care division. She was committed to making a difference for other women in construction. She and her brother, George, have since become co-presidents of JP Cullen and lead the company with advice and input from their father, other-fourth generation owners and their fifth generation cousins.

Cofounder and president of HeadLight Si Katara has led his photo-based inspection technology to wide adoption by contractors and owners such as the Louisiana Dept. of Transportation and Development. The DOTD was already conducting a pilot project with HeadLight in 2020 when five hurricanes and power outages across the state after Hurricane Laura pressed it into service and employees were able to use HeadLight to view real-time updates from colleagues about the outages. Katara also discusses the changing face of cloud-based construction technology with Aileen Cho and Jeff Yoders

In fall 2020, a random truck collision caused a raging fire on the Brent Spence Bridge, closing the critical crossing. Hear how the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, aided by Michael Baker International, managed to reopen the bridge in 42 days.

ENR California Editor Erica Berardi joins Senior Editor Aileen Cho to chat with Eric Foster about a venerable California company’s expansion to the East Coast.