March 2, 2026

Women who build: Voices from RTC’s construction management program

Septelka

Fadnavis

Rising project demands are intensifying labor shortages across the construction industry, with firms reporting continued difficulty filling both craft and management roles. Women remain underrepresented, comprising just 11.6% of the workforce as of January 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. At Renton Technical College (RTC), the Construction Management program is helping expand the industry’s talent pipeline by preparing women to begin and advance long-term careers in construction.

RTC offers evening, online, and hybrid classes, allowing students to balance school with work and family commitments. Full-time students can complete the associate degree in two years, while working adults, parents and career changers can progress at their own pace.

Female enrollment in RTC’s Construction Management program increased from 13 percent to 33 percent between 2021 and 2026. This growth reflects rising interest among women in construction and highlights education as a clear pathway to advancement.

To understand why, we spoke with five current students and graduates. Their stories reveal how education builds confidence, creates stability, and opens doors.

DANIKA ALDANA CORTEZ

Cortez

Cortez has spent five years as a member of Local 528 as an apprentice concrete finisher on projects ranging from infrastructure to sidewalks. She works full-time at Jansen and received the 2025 Peggy Cook Apprentice Award from the Washington Women in Trades.

As a working mother managing long shifts and overtime, Danika attends evening classes at RTC. She says coursework has changed how she sees her job. She now understands why certain materials are chosen and how field decisions connect to the larger project.

Scholarship support has eased the financial pressure of returning to school. After graduation, she hopes to move into estimating or project support roles and build long-term stability for herself and her child.

KELINA BUNBURY

Bunbury

Kelina Bunbury entered construction through the Seattle Conservation Corps in 2017. She began in entry-level roles, joined Laborers’ Local 242 in 2018, and advanced to journeyman working on major infrastructure projects.

While raising her teenage son and attending RTC, Bunbury is focused on advancing from fieldwork to management. The program’s flexible schedule allows her to balance work, parenting and education. She brings years of field experience into the classroom and connects theory directly to job-site realities. At home, she and her son compare notes about school, and encourage one another through their classes.

She is interested in estimating, field engineering, or project support roles where she can apply both technical training and field knowledge. She has already mentored several women into the union and intends to continue creating pathways for others while helping deliver projects that make a lasting impact on the community.

CORI KIA

Kia

Cori Kia represents a younger generation entering construction. Her interest began building with Legos and playing Minecraft with her carpenter father, and continued through high school woodshop. After graduation, she enrolled in the ANEW pre-apprenticeship program, where she saw other women pursuing trades careers and realized construction could be her path.

After moving to Renton, she discovered RTC’s Construction Management program and began classes in September 2025. She attends full-time while working part-time and occasionally joins her father on job sites. Her coursework reinforces the hands-on learning that first sparked her interest.

Kia hopes to secure an internship to explore project management and determine where she best fits within the industry. In the long term, she aspires to manage projects and eventually own a construction company, just like her father.

JONI DOMBROWSKI

Dombrowski

When Joni Dombrowski enrolled at RTC in 2014, she already had nearly 20 years of experience in electrical, HVAC and civil construction. When the company she worked for downsized, she chose to formalize her knowledge and advance her career. Balancing full-time work, children, and family life required coordination and the support of her husband. RTC’s hybrid structure and small cohort environment made it manageable. She completed her degree in 2016.

Today, Dombrowski is a Project Manager at Olson Brothers Excavating, where she handles estimating and construction management for public works projects. Her discipline in scheduling, communication, and documentation has earned the trust of public clients who regularly invite her to bid on emergency work.

She encourages women to trust that they belong in construction. Resilience, continuous learning, and a strong support system matter.

ASHLEY LEHMAN

Lehman

Ashley Lehman began her career in an administrative role at Sellen Construction, uncertain of her long-term direction. Exposure to projects and encouragement from colleagues led her to pursue construction management.

While working full-time, Lehman enrolled at RTC and completed her degree in 2016 through evening and hybrid courses. She earned scholarship support from Sellen and the AGC Education Foundation, which helped make it possible. As she progressed through school, she advanced from project assistant to field coordinator to project engineer.

Today, Lehman is a Project Manager at Sellen with more than 12 years of experience on major commercial projects. One of her most meaningful experiences was working on the Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance, designed and built largely by women. Walking into meetings where women were not underrepresented reinforced her belief in the importance of representation in the industry.

When starting a family, Lehman notes that work-life balance has not been a challenge for her, largely due to Sellen’s supportive culture, particularly around school, family responsibilities, and returning from parental leave. She also sees the industry becoming more open to work-life balance for both women and men.

She encourages women not to be deterred by a lack of construction experience, emphasizing that technical skills can be taught, while communication, organization, and reliability are qualities they already possess.

THE COMMON THREAD

Across five different journeys, one theme emerged: determination. Danika Aldana Cortez and Kelina Bunbury are balancing work, family, and school, while Cori Kia is carving out her path into the industry. Joni Dombrowski and Ashley Lehman are already applying their education in leadership roles, managing public works and major commercial projects.

Their stories show that RTC’s two-year degree is more than a credential; it opens doors. In their experience, classroom learning connected directly to real projects. Applying those concepts on the job built skills, and the supportive classroom environment gave them the confidence to speak up and share their experience.

As the industry works to strengthen its workforce, these women remind us that the talent and determination to lead are already here.

Darlene Septelka is a retired University of Washington professor and an advocate for the construction industry and women in the built environment. Aishwarya Fadnavis is a Construction Management faculty member at Renton Technical College and a doctoral candidate at the University of Washington.

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