Construction Equipment Guide (CEG) celebrates Women in Construction (WIC) this March by highlighting three talented women who presented at ConExpo-Con/AGG 2026 earlier this month.
One of the sessions hosted by ConExpo-Con/AGG 2026, known as the EmpowerHER Workshop, highlighted six women working in and advancing the construction field. Construction Equipment Guide spoke to three of them to share their successes, insights and advice to women in the field or looking to expand into the construction field.
Amy Henningfield, director of workforce development of Superior Construction
Henningfield, who began her career as an administrative assistant, now boasts more than 30 years of heavy civil construction experience and a director's title with Superior Construction, a prominent fourth-generation family-owned and -operated heavy civil contractor based in Portage, Ind. Along the way, she earned both her bachelor's degree and MBA (in recent years), while building a career in one of the most demanding industries in the country.
Henningfield serves as an active committee and board member of several groups including Construction Advancement Foundation (CAF) Women in Construction, Indiana Constructor's Inc.'s (ICI) Women in Roads, Northwest Indiana Influential Women Association (NWIIWA) and holds a steering committee role in Superior's Women in Construction (SWiC). In recent years, Henningfield has been recognized as Mentor of the Year, named Outstanding Women in Construction and received a Women in Construction PACER (Pavement, Asphalt, Concrete, Equipment, Rental) Award.
Driven by a belief that "you can't be what you don't see," coupled with a commitment to educate and encourage young women to enter the construction field, Henningfield also contributed to the development of the very first girls' summer camp for ICI Women in Roads. Altogether, she strives to create opportunities for women within the construction field.
In the EmpowerHER Workshop, Henningfield focuses her message on the importance of ownership, not just opportunity.
"Confidence doesn't come first — action does," she said. "You build confidence by stepping into rooms before you feel fully ready. You build credibility by raising your hand. You build influence by delivering results consistently."
"You don't have to ‘fit' into construction," she added. "Construction is not an industry where you have to know everything before you start. It's an industry where you grow by doing. Do not wait until you feel ready — because you never will be. Please take that step. This industry needs you."
She urges women interested in the field to find mentors, network and explore local apprenticeship programs and career fairs. She emphasized the need for women in the industry and believes the industry offers massive opportunity, with the ability to lead and empower others.
"This industry needs more problem-solvers, leaders, builders, and innovators — and women bring that," she said. "There is space here, and there is a real impact to be made here."
Katie Kelleher, technical publications and careers manager of Construction Plant-Hire Association (CPA) and technical and development of KatieCranes
From the very start of her career in the construction industry, Kelleher has made a lasting impact and continues to break down stereotypical gender barriers. Beginning in 2014, she became the very first woman to join the Lifting Technician Apprenticeship program with Select Plant Hire/Laing O'Rourke, an international construction and engineering company based in Dartford, U.K., with no prior construction experience. Despite that, she found a passion for the field and continued her career the past 12 years with the company, initially operating cranes on major infrastructure projects and now leading training and safety initiatives.
When she's not providing technical guidance or developing training programs, Kelleher actively shares industry insights on her podcast, blog and social channels while regularly speaking at major conferences, colleges, career fairs and more.
By sharing her career and experience as a woman in the construction field, Kelleher landed a spot on the Top 100 Women in Construction list, Construction News and the Women in Trade Association Powerlist. Additionally, the Earthmovers Magazine, Plant Planet and television series Impossible Engineering featured Kelleher and her accomplishments.
Kelleher's advice to women is to "try something completely different." She told Construction Equipment Guide, "There isn't one mold. If you're willing to learn and work hard, there is space for you and it's genuinely a space where you can progress. Talk to people already doing the job, explore hands-on training, stay curious and challenge assumptions — including your own."
"Accept that the first few months might feel uncomfortable," she added. "That doesn't mean you don't belong. If you walk onto site and you're the only woman there, don't shrink yourself. You deserve to be there as much as anyone else and you are as trained and competent as anyone else."
At the ConExpo-Con/AGG EmpowerHER workshop, she emphasized the importance of bringing women into the field and keeping them in the field.
"We've made some progress getting women into construction, but we haven't made the same progress keeping them here," she said. "Recruitment is only half the story — retention is where the real work is. It shouldn't only be on women to be braver. The industry has a responsibility to make itself a place worth stepping into."
While she acknowledged there's no single solution to a culture shift, she believes creating supportive cultures, promoting women role models, increasing visibility, addressing fundamental simple issues — such as site facilities available to women, PPE sized appropriately for women as well as flexible working arrangements — and bridging the "health and safety" gap can help break down the intimidation and barriers women face entering into the field.
Jennifer Todd, executive director of A Greener Tomorrow
Jennifer Todd, an accoladed founder and executive director for a nonprofit known as A Greener Tomorrow, has devoted her career to advancing equity, workforce development and representation in the construction field. With nearly two decades in the field, she offers extensive knowledge in federal disaster recovery, strategic planning and workforce development.
Todd recently received prestigious awards from the Top 20 Under 40 and was named a finalist for CBO Outstanding Women in Construction and an honoree for the South Florida Business Journal Diverse Voice.
When Todd isn't leading her nonprofit, speaking at events, or producing her docuseries known as "Breaking Barriers: Women at Work," Todd serves on numerous advisory groups and organizations, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, National Association of Black Women in Construction, John Deere and CREW Collaborative.
At the ConExpo-Con/AGG EmpowerHER Workshop, Todd shared many insights, including a framework she developed known as the "Doubt Tax." Rather than battling internal challenges, such as imposter syndrome, while working in the field, Todd explained in the construction world women mostly face external challenges.
She told Construction Equipment Guide, "The ‘Doubt Tax' is an external cost women in male-dominated industries pay in environments that were not originally designed with them in mind. It's not about individual resilience; it's about structural retention."
She noted that although "construction is one of the most opportunity-rich industries in the country right now … less than 14 percent of women represent the workforce," and calls for companies to perform leadership audits, in efforts to mitigate the workforce shortage and challenges women face in the field.
Despite the "Doubt Tax," Todd strongly advocates women to enter into the field. To young women aspiring to kickstart their career in the construction industry, she encourages them to explore trade programs, apprenticeships and to join local contractor associations.
To the women looking to shift industries, she said, "Construction needs leaders with transferable skills: operations, finance, project management, communications, technology, strategy. If you can lead under pressure, manage risk, solve complex problems, or build systems you already have currency here."
Lastly, Todd advised, "Do not assume you must assimilate to succeed. The future of
this industry depends on new perspectives, not smaller versions of the same ones."
Industry of Growth, Change
These three determined leaders have committed their careers to empowering other women to enter into and grow in a challenging but rewarding field. The EmpowerHER Workshop this year at ConExpo-Con/AGG gave these women a platform to network, collaborate and share best practices and insights. Overall, these efforts work toward fostering a more inclusive environment for women to work, lead and innovate in the field — all while shaping the future of the construction industry. CEG
