October Forum Recap: Women of Green, November 27, 2017.
Andrea Mancino, Bright Power
“Mancino has worked at the energy management firm Bright Power for five years, first as an Existing Buildings Intern and was recently promoted to Director of New Construction. Mancino recalled that her big break came when she was volunteering at a symposium hosted by The Garrison Institute. There she met GreenHomeNYC board members Andy Padian and Bomee Jung, who told her about the organization. Mancino became a GreenHomeNYC volunteer and the Women of Green forum was the first event she attended as an emerging professional. Mancino succeeded in landing a position at Bright Power, starting out in the existing buildings group and then, with a fellow female colleague, she co-founded the New Construction group, which works in building rehabilitation and high-level new design construction. Mancino said working in new construction has made her a ‘jack of all trades.’ ‘You have to know everything from ventilation flow rates to lighting fixture controls, to HVAC, to insulation strategies.’ In offering advice to emerging professionals, Mancino emphasized the importance of getting your hands dirty in the field. ‘There is a lot you can learn in school but in this industry there is a lot you have to learn by experience.’ While she is pleased to have seen a shift of more women in the green building industry, particularly in engineering, she said women’s representation in construction needs work. ‘Women generally don’t hold powerful/leadership roles in the construction industry and I’d like to change that.’ She encouraged female professionals to get involved in women’s industry groups and is herself a part the Women in Construction advocacy group.”