Join us for our January chapter meeting! Simeon O. Terry, Vice President of Diversity Affairs for Austin Commercial, will join us virtually to discuss DEI programs as they relate to the construction industry. 

 DEI Myths & Realities in the Construction Industry

During this presentation he will tackle common misconceptions such as the belief that DEI Programs only benefit minorities, require hiring less qualified candidates, or that training alone solves DEI challenges. We’ll debunk these myths and explore why DEI is critical for the construction industry. 

He will also highlight the difference between compliance and genuine commitment to DEI programs, addressing key questions such as the below: 

• Is DEI a cost or an investment?
• How can we measure its ROI?
• Should DEI initiatives be driven by policy or politics
• What strategies can make DEI efforts both meaningful and impactful?

Event Details:

When: January 9th, 2025, 8:00 - 9:00 AM

Where: Virtual

Participants will be eligible for 1 hour of CPE credit for attending this event

Simeon O. Terry, MBA, MCA is the Vice President of Diversity Affairs for Austin Commercial, and has been in the construction industry over 35 years and has managed diversity programs over 25 years. In his current role as Vice President, Mr. Terry oversees the companies Diversity and Inclusion program both internally and externally. This includes overseeing the cultural competency education, diversity compliance, affirmative action, recruiting/hiring, mentoring and business procurement diversity. In addition, developing and implementing strategic strategies that will maximize inclusion in the workforce diversity workspace as well as in the supplier diversity workspace.

The role of diversity affairs is to ensure that Inclusion, diversity, equity and access are considered at the highest levels of all decisions within the company and established as a core organizational value. Previously, Mr. Terry has held the positions of Director of Diversity and Diversity Program Manager for Austin Commercial over his 24-year career with the company. In the Mentoring Program, Mr. Terry oversees for Austin, Over 420 firms have graduated in the program and over $4.0 Billion has been spent with diverse firms through 2024.

Mr. Terry works hand in hand with many different departments within Austin including; accounting, legal, risk management, marketing & business development, operations and human resources. Simeon began his career in construction as a safety manager and has held the positions of estimator, construction manager, project manager and operations manager. Prior to his career in construction Simeon worked as a manufacturing engineering for McDonnell Douglas in ST. Louis, MO building F-18 Hornet Airplanes for the Navy and as a Loss Control Regional Manager for Liberty Mutual.