Celebrating the Impact of Women in Construction
March 2025
As Women in Construction Week comes to a close, we recap our spotlights on Emily Clayton, Lisa Hamilton, and Elen Zurabyan, three professional women shaping the construction industry today.
The experiences of these women highlight their goals and achievements, marking a significant shift towards inclusivity and opportunity in owner’s project management (OPM) and the construction industry.
As we celebrate their accomplishments, we acknowledge their contributions to reshaping the industry’s landscape and paving the way for future generations of female leaders.
Meet Emily Clayton.
Emily has over a year of experience as an Owner’s Project Manager in the commercial real estate industry, specializing in higher education. Prior to this role, she spent three years working for a mechanical contractor, where she focused on life sciences and healthcare projects. She earned a Bachelor of Science from Saint Joseph’s University in Statistics and Analytics and Marketing but had a change in career path when she started working in the construction industry. Emily found that she enjoyed the ins and outs of the construction process and loves to be a part of work that contributes to the community.
Emily is currently working on multiple projects with Harvard University Housing, including elevator modernizations, façade repairs, and sanitary stack refurbishments. She previously worked on roofing projects and fire escape repairs across the campus. Emily is enjoying the opportunity to expand her knowledge beyond mechanical work and being a part of different and unique projects. Working directly with the contractors allows Emily to learn the steps of the job at a deeper level while building strong relationships across the industry.
In Emily’s free time, she is an assistant teacher at Inspire Dance Company, focusing on Acrobatic Arts and Tumbling.
Who or what has inspired you most in your career, and what advice would you share with the next generation of women entering the A/E/C industry?
Someone who inspired Emily at the beginning of her career is Leah Hoffman, Senior Project Manager at Colliers Engineering & Design. Leah is a strong leader with many years of experience as a project manager. At the start of her career, Emily worked with Leah and watched her gain the respect of every man in the office and field with her vast knowledge, hard work, and captivating personality. Leah is someone Emily looks up to and has inspired her to be a strong woman in this industry.
A piece of advice Emily would share with the next generation of women entering the A/E/C industry is not to be intimidated and to get out on the job sites and ask questions. Over the course of Emily’s career, she has gathered that learning from experience is the best way to expand your knowledge. The contractors and men and women in the field have so much knowledge and experience and love to share their stories and explain their work. Don’t be intimidated if a man or woman has 30 years of experience in a trade that you do not know much about. Put yourself out there and ask any questions that come to mind, not only are they happy to help and have you learn about their trade, but people will respect your tenacity. You learn much faster in the field than behind the desk.
Meet Lisa Hamilton.
Lisa has over 18 years of experience in the real estate industry, handling projects and programs as large as $400M or 3M SF. She specializes in strategic planning, master budgeting, annual capital planning, large-scale team assembly, development of program governance, and design and construction administration. Her portfolio includes supporting corporate, higher education, institutional, not-for-profit, and developer clients with projects in the financial services, life science, mission-critical, SCIF / SAPF, and residential sectors totaling an aggregate volume exceeding $1B.
Lisa is currently working on a building repositioning study for a 305,000 SF property with a six-story lab tower and a nine-story office tower situated above an eight-story parking garage. The repositioning effort aims to reimagine the building as a dynamic, desirable workplace while maximizing the return on investment. She recently completed the 500,000 SF Phase I development at Assembly Innovation Park in Somerville on behalf of BioMed Realty. The development consisted of a core/shell building with a nine-story parking structure, two new private roads, upgrades to adjacent public roadways, and a one-acre public park.
In her spare time, Lisa enjoys skiing, golfing, and traveling with her husband and three children. Additionally, Lisa is on the Ocean Breeze School Board of Directors.
Who or what has inspired you most in your career, and what advice would you share with the next generation of women entering the A/E/C industry?
Lisa is inspired by those who successfully manage people with a teaching mindset. Supporting the management of an owner’s project management firm has taught her that investing in the development of people is critical. Fostering an environment where project managers can learn through their own experiences while still ensuring a project’s objective is met is an art.
A piece of advice Lisa would share with the next generation of women entering the A/E/C industry is to find a mentor who is focused on progressive growth. She has found the most successful people in the A/E/C industry are those who continue to lean in and learn no matter where they are in their careers.
Meet Elen Zurabyan.
Elen has over 13 years of experience as a project manager, architect, and designer on a variety of capital, fit-out, and renovation projects. Her portfolio includes projects in the life sciences, engineering, technology, higher education, residential, commercial, and public sectors. Her expertise spans all phases of the development process including project definition, master planning, programing, design, and construction administration. Prior to joining Northstar, Elen held roles as Project Manager at Payette Associates and was an Adjunct Professor of Architecture at Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Elen is currently working on a build-to-suit headquarters new ground up development in Cambridge and overseeing the design and construction of an office-to-lab conversion project in the heart of Kendall Square. Through her work she has gained expertise in programming, design development and documentation for local and international organizations.
Outside of work, Elen likes to connect with the natural environment helps me find balance and inspiration for the input in the human-built environment. I love hiking mountains across the world and growing a garden with my two children as well as exploring urban corners where the built environment aspires to bridge the man made and wild parts of the world.
Who or what has inspired you most in your career, and what advice would you share with the next generation of women entering the A/E/C industry?
Elen’s biggest inspiration comes from seeing both individual and organizational resiliency and adaptability despite inevitable challenges across various scales. Coming from an architectural background, she has made a few shifts in her career, and the most valuable perspective she gained has been allowing herself to see work as an exploration of her curiosity, rather than just a linear path. Approaching problem-solving with an open mind is a skillset that can be applied to not only everyday tasks but also and to larger vision-setting.
