Rocky Hill, CT – Kelly O’Brien, Project Manager at Petra Construction, North Haven, CT, was named the recipient of the “2013 Woman of Accomplishment” award by Professional Women in Construction – Connecticut Chapter (PWC-CT). This is the fourth annual award presentation; Ms. O’Brien received the honor on April 2, 2013, in a ceremony held during a PWC-CT monthly meeting and professional development program at the Sheraton in Rocky Hill, CT. During the same ceremony, Susan Shelby, FSMPS, CPSM, President & CEO of Rhino Public Relations LLC, and Angela Cahill, AIA, LEED, Associate Principal of Fletcher Thompson Architects, were named recipients of the “2013 Women on the Rise” awards.
PWC-CT supports education in the fields of architecture, construction and engineering, and recognizes ongoing professional excellence with these two annual awards. The “Woman of Accomplishment” award, instituted by PWC-CT in 2010, is designed to honor a woman who has been working in the A/E/C industry for at least 15 years, and who exemplifies outstanding professional achievement, performance and contributions within her field of endeavor. The “Woman on the Rise” award is given each year to a promising professional in the fields of architecture, engineering or construction.
Kelly O’Brien, the “2013 Woman of Accomplishment”, received her pre-architecture B.A. from the University of Connecticut, Storrs, where she was on the Dean’s List. She has over 17 years of project management experience, including crisis management, and oversight of large-scale multi-state operational initiatives. In her current capacity as Project Manager for Petra Construction, she oversees scheduling, budgeting, tracking and management of projects from initial project planning through completion, and has worked on projects at Stamford Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, and Yale-New Haven . Ms. O’Brien holds an ASHE Healthcare Construction Certification, and an OSHA Safety Certification.
Susan Shelby, “2013 Woman on The Rise”, received her B.A. in International Relations from American University; she holds a Certificate in European Studies from Universite Libre de Bruxelles. She established Rhino Public Relations in 2004; prior to that she had established a solid reputation as a marketing and corporate communications professional, providing strategic planning, crisis communication and relationship management for a number of prominent architectural and public relations firms. Ms. Shelby is a past president of SMPS Boston (Society for Marketing Professional Services); her past awards include “Entrepreneur of the Year” from NEWiRE, and “Top 10 PR Specialist” from Women’s Business Boston.
Angela Cahill, “2013 Woman on The Rise”, received her BArch from The Catholic University of America, from which she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She also studied Architectural History, Theory & Design at Temple University in Rome, Italy. She was an Adjunct Professor for University of Hartford for nine years, and currently serves as a Design Juror for undergraduate, graduate and thesis design juries. She is on the Advisory Board of the ACE Mentor Program, and is an active member of AIA CT (American Institute of Architects). As Associate Principal at Fletcher Thompson, Ms. Cahill leads the firm in K-12 Educational projects. She also pursues college and university projects, and government projects with a specialty in LEED projects and Library Design.
Founded in 1980, Professional Women in Construction is a national non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization committed to advancing professional, entrepreneurial and managerial opportunities for women and other “non-traditional” populations in construction and related industries. Members of the PWC-CT represent all major disciplines within our industry, and are drawn from Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. PWC-CT programs present the latest industry topics, and provide networking and business development opportunities for members and guests. Membership is open to women and men, private companies and public agencies actively engaged in the design / construction / real estate development fields, and businesses supplying goods and services to the industry.