Dear Members,

Today I’m reflecting on the fantastic Leadership Symposium that was held last week. It was wonderful to see such a diverse cross section of our membership at the Symposium, which was curated by the WiSE Committee. One of the highlights for me was hearing from Susan Kutner Rozakis, Senior Director of Workplace Design + Delivery at Google. Susan shared her journey from her first job in high school at McDonalds to her current position at Google and how her experiences along the way led to a diverse, interesting, and successful career.

Susan is someone who followed her interest and passion for construction at a time where very few women were in the field. In the face of this, she found mentors and allies to support her, and she now serves as a mentor and ally for others. This resonates with me – I think we all need allies, and we also need to be an ally for our coworkers and colleagues. We have a diverse and talented membership at SEAOSC. Listening to different voices and perspectives leads to better solutions and outcomes. Together we can have a strong voice and we can make meaningful change in our communities – like Susan has. Our diversity is our strength, and it was inspiring to see this in action at the Leadership Symposium.

Warmest Regards,

Patti Harburg - Petrich, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2022-23