Your Custom Text Here
The Girl Scouts will participate in a two hour activity to design a home for a make-believe pet.
We need volunteers! 8-12 designers of any kind to help!
IMEG, formerly KJWW, has submitted their flex time policy as a case study for the Best Practice Report - Work Options category.
IMEG Corp implemented a flex time policy in January 2013. The case study details out the policy as many firms informally allow people to shift hours, but not many actually write it down. In other companies, something like this may be granted to certain employees where it makes business sense, is good for the company, or is good for the employee. IMEG CORP has extended this policy to all employees in an effort to provide a similar and consistent benefit to everyone.
Check it out on our Case Studies page!
On Tuesday, April 4, members of Iowa Women in Architecture and the Polk County Women Attorneys gathered at Peace Tree Brewing for an 'Unhappy Hour' sponsored by Raker Rhodes Engineering. The event was in recognition of Equal Pay Day held every April to symbolize how far into the year women need to work to make what men did in the previous year.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Celeste Bremer and Courts Architect/Project Manager Emily Gloe Donovan spoke about their professional experiences and the wage gap between men and women. Judge Bremer encouraged all of us to speak up and advocate what you believe is right. Don't wait for someone to ask for your opinion or to invite you to participate. If you believe change is needed, make it happen just as she did when her kids were young and she saw a dangerous situation at their school. Celeste put her kids on their bus, donned an orange vest, drove to the school and was there to direct traffic and safely guide all of the students through the parking lot when the bus arrived!
Emily Gloe Donovan remembers a night when she was just a few years out of school and working late at the office. A former male classmate turned colleague informed her that he recently saw her salary and that she would be shocked by how much less she was being paid than he. At the time, her response was understandably one of confusion, shock and frustration. Like many women who have faced similar situations, this knowledge prompted Emily to look elsewhere for employment. After years of experience, perspective and reflection, Emily's advice to the group is to ask the hard questions and have the difficult conversations instead of getting discouraged and walking away. Read more about our speakers and their experiences HERE.
Written by Heidi Pollman
Our line of work is built on the value of relationships and opportunities; what have you found is the best way to communicate in times of conflict? It’s human nature to go into high stakes conversations unable to listen and process the other person’s point of view because we are so focused on ensuring we don’t get sidelined. But really, the other person only seeks to be heard and understood…just like I do. Situations end well when I set my agenda aside (for the moment) and really dig into what the other person is wanting to communicate…no matter how hard it is to hear. The conflict then turns to a conversation and the other person is ready to hear my concerns. I’m not perfect at this but it’s always encouraging to recognize a bit of ourselves in someone else even if that similarity is both feeling mad!
Sometimes our careers can be demanding; how do you wind down in the evenings to maintain a balanced lifestyle? I could say something profound, but it wouldn’t be true! I moved into my own “fixer-upper” house last year so it’s been work at work and work at home on repeat. Sometimes winding down means mindless TV and Girl Scout Cookies for dinner.
In 2017 technology is at our fingertips - what is your favorite app and/or website? As the marketer for my company I might be a little late to the “social media management” party as I only just invested in Hootsuite. This website lets me schedule LinkedIn/Twitter/Facebook/etc. posts months in advance which 1) maximizes my time, 2) keeps me organized and accountable, and 3) makes me look on top of my game!
As professionals, we are versed in community interaction and collaboration; what are you involved in outside of your profession? A few years ago, I realized something about myself and as I looked around me I found a similar theme in so many of my female friends: we were holding back and not pursuing our dreams. In response, a friend and I started a monthly night out to share good food and inspiring conversation with any women who would rise to the challenge. Since then, our little dinners have grown to a quarterly community event for hundreds of women from all ages and backgrounds called The Fountain. Every woman is unique, but our differences and challenges bring unity and foster community. Self-doubt, identity, and the pursuit of joy are subjects everyone resonates with. We are currently working to become a 501(c)(3). You can check out more on our Facebook or Instagram.
We are Iowa Women in Architecture; who were the female role models that inspired you? It’s probably not surprising but as a millennial, many of the female role models I’ve credited for challenging me or shaping my thinking are through social media. They have blogs. Or books. They are advocates for the underdog. They are community activists. They say the hard things and really believe the sky is the limit. They are outspoken but use their words wisely. And most of them teach me how to love Jesus but not shy away from leadership.
Where do you attend school and what type of design work would you like to pursue? I am a fourth-year architecture student at Iowa State University; I am also pursuing a minor in digital media.
Why did you choose the design/construction field? I think that design provides the opportunity to think creatively while solving real world problems, taking critical thinking to fully developed ideas. I view it as a way to combine many different fields – fashion, industrial design, interior design, urban planning, and architecture – into a synthesis of new design elements that can impact people.
What motivates you to work towards a career in design/construction? Architecture creates an opportunity to make a physical change within the built environment, which implements theoretical thinking into real world solutions.
What is the best advice you have received? The best advice I have received was from my professor Cal Lewis, “to appreciate when people talk about your work because it means they care.”
How has Iowa Women in Architecture influenced you? The Iowa Women in Architecture has shown me the opportunities for women in leadership positions, within the architecture field.
Join us on April 4th for our Unhappy Hour. A collabortative social event with Polk County Women Attorneys group, we'll have Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Celeste Bremer and Courts Architect Emily Donovan speaking about the wage gap between men and women.
U. S. Magistrate Judge Celeste F. Bremer was appointed to the bench in 1985. Prior to this, she was a prosecutor, a partner in a civil litigation firm, and in-house counsel for Deere & Company and Economy Forms Corporation. Her caseload includes civil and criminal matters, along with mediation and court administration.
She has served as liaison with the GSA and Administrative Office for the Courtson a major Repair and Alteration project for the Davenport U. S. Courthouse (AIA Citation awarded 2006), and has been involved with several major renovations of the Des Moines U. S. courthouse. She was appointed by Chief Justice Roberts as a member of the Judicial Conference Space and Facilities Committee, which is responsible for the U. S. Courts Design Guide. She has given presentations on court design at AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice seminars.
She teaches regularly at the Federal Judicial Center, trains mediators nationally and internationally, and has taught graduate classes in Organizational Leadership and law school classes at Drake University. She has her doctorate in Adult Education from Drake University, and her law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law.
Emily Gloe Donovan is a graduate from Iowa State University where she received a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1993, studying a semester in Rome. She is currently working as a US Courts Architect acting as a liaison between the Southern District of Iowa Federal Judges, and the GSA and design architects for the new Des Moines Federal Courthouse.
Previously she has worked at several architecture firms including Substance Architecture, RDG Planning and Design, Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture, often working on historic renovation/preservation projects such as the Randolph Hotel conversion, the Bergman Mansion, Hoyt Sherman Place Theater and the Salisbury House in Des Moines. She also operated her own architecture business for three years while her kids were young, and renovated their entire 1880’s house in Sherman Hill with her husband.
