Episode 156: Doris Efird & the National Association of Women in Construction
The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) is one of the oldest and most influential organizations supporting women in the construction industry in the United States. Their story begins in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1953, when a group of 16 women formed an organization called Women in Construction of Fort Worth. Their goal was to create a supportive community and professional network for women working in a field overwhelmingly dominated by men. Among these founders was Doris Efird, who played a key role in launching the organization and helping bring women together around a shared vision of support, connection, and opportunity.
Just two years later, the group expanded beyond Fort Worth and officially became the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), establishing chapters in cities across the country. Today, NAWIC has more than 120 chapters in 47 states and maintains partnerships with similar organizations around the world, reflecting its lasting impact on the industry.
Although little historical information remains about Doris Efird’s personal life or career in construction, available records identify her as a driving force behind the organization’s founding. Her desire to create a support network for women working in a male-dominated profession helped spark a movement that continues to empower women in construction more than seven decades later.
Caryatid: Rita Brown
Rita Brown is the President and CEO of BCC, a company that provides structural and miscellaneous steel and consulting for steel related projects in Birmingham Michigan.
She is also the Transportation Commissioner for the State of Michigan, and the 2025-2026 President of the (NAWIC).
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This transcript was prepared during the development of the episode.
Final recorded episode may deviate slightly from the content presented below as changes, edits, or improvements may be made during the recording and editing process.
Norgerie: Hi! Welcome to season 15 of She Builds Podcast, where we share stories about women in the design and construction field, one lady at a time.
Jessica: This season's theme is: Collective Impact. Exploring AEC organizations and professionals shaping a more inclusive and innovative built environment.
Lizi: As always, we are not experts, we are just sharing stories about the information that we find, as friends having a fun conversation. If you find an error, send us an email and we will all continue learning.
Norgerie: Last time I had so much fun researching a lot of different groups and talking a little bit about all of them that I decided to do it again. I really wanted to cover contractors this season, which is for me the toughest profession to tackle on this show, but I accepted the challenge and let's see where it takes us.
Jessica: Yeah we really try to provide a wide range of all the different sectors in our industry
Lizi: We do, but contractors are one of the hardest to find historical info on, so if anyone knows about female contractors in history, hit us up.
Norgerie: To add to the challenge, I wanted to learn about groups focused on Latin Americans, so today we are going to learn the history behind the National Association of Women in Construction which is the largest and most prominent organization for women in the construction industry in the United States along with Doris Efird who was one of the founders of this group. And then we will zoom into two groups in the US focused on supporting Latin American Women in Construction, Patronas and Latinas in Construction. We'll finish the episode with a road trip through Latin America learning about similar associations in Costa Rica, Bolivia, and Brazil.
Jessica: it looks like we have lots of ground to cover, let’s dot it
Lizi: Yeah, wow, ambitious.
Norgerie: I’m Norgerie Rivas, looking forward to summer time, in Houston, Texas.
Jessica: Hi, I’m Jessica Rogers wishing it could always be spring, based out of Miami, FL
Lizi: Hi, I’m Lizi Raar, enjoying true Midwest summer, in Chicago, Illinois!
Norgerie: Like Jessica said, lots to cover today starting with the National Association of Women in Construction aka NAWIC. As far as I can tell it's one of the oldest associations focused on Women in Construction, women in trades.
Lizi: Love that.
Norgerie: Ok let's officially start, the time was 1953, the place Fort Worth Texas, The Women in Construction of Fort Worth was born.
Jessica: I thought we were talking about the National Association of Women in Construction
Norgerie: Yeah but they had to start somewhere, at first that was their name the Women in Construction of Fort Worth.
Lizi: Ahhh I see. Origin stories.
Jessica: Gotchya
Norgerie: It was founded by Alice Ashley, Ida Mae Bagby, Carolyn Balcomb, Sue Bowling, Margaret Bubar, Margaret Cleveland, Era Dunn, Doris Efird, Ronda Farrell, Hazel Floyd, Jimmie Blazier, Nina Ruth Jenkins, Ethel McKinney, Irene Moates, Mildred Tarter and Edna Mae Tucker. Their goal was to create a community of support and a network for women working in the super male-dominated field of construction.
Lizi: Yeah! I like the sounds of this.
Jessica: Sounds familiar
Norgerie: They hit it off, more and more women joined, ladies from other cities, from other states were like we want in! And so just two years later they grew and officially became The National Association of Women in Construction with chapters in other cities.
Lizi: That’s awesome that they grew so fast. Especially in the 1950s. I love hearing that there were that many women involved in construction and wanting to organize and support each other.
Norgerie: Today NAWIC has more than 120 chapters in 47 states. And they are ultra legit. Nationally they have a board of directors, an executive committee, president, president-elect, vice president, secretary, treasurer… all the things.
Jessica: oh wow - yeah they seem really well organized and as a result you can see it in their growth and reach
Norgerie: And they have global partners. They are in cahoots, in a good way, with similar associations in Qatar, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa!
Lizi: Amazing. I love that they have global reach.
Jessica: worldwide babyyy
Norgerie: I gotta say when I learned this group is as old as 1953 I got so excited because #1 what a great thing that there is documented evidence of so many women coming together in the 1950s to create a community for women in construction, that means there were enough of them making waves. And then #2 it's a group of 16 founders!!! Jackpot! Surely I'm gonna find a lady to focus on and develop an episode.
Lizi: Right?!? I was thinking the same thing.
Jessica: one can hope
Norgerie: I was so sadly mistaken. There is such little documented evidence. It reminded me of Elizabeth Bragg that I found almost nothing about her and just decided to develop an episode around her because I really wanted to highlight the arguably first civil engineer in the US. So today just cause I'm stubborn, and she deserves it, we're gonna shine a light on Doris Efird.
Lizi: Oh no! I am sad to hear that it wasn’t the windfall that we were hoping for. But I am excited to learn about Doris.
Jessica: I was curious as to why we started with the group, but now I understand why. Unfortunately, that is the challenge - when it comes to women in history, so little is documented.
Norgerie: Doris may have been born in 1925 in the United States in the Great State of Texas
yeehaw.
Lizi: yee haw. Keeping it vague with maybe 1925.
Jessica: at least we know it’s in the US and Texas- welcome Doris - whenever you came!
Norgerie: In her lifetime she met and married John Efird, who if what I found is correct, would have been 3 years her junior. The reason I think this is our Doris is because the first time I was reading John's obituary I saw he and his wife were very involved in masonry and I was like bingo!!! Our lady was a brick master that's super cool! But when I read it again it turns out they were freemasons which is something totally different.
Lizi: hahahaha. Very different things.
Jessica: Don’t be alarmed - I too had a similar thought - nothing to do with bricks - more like a belief system - so maybe it was hobby
Norgerie: Still this is the only information I could find about a Doris Efird during that time period in Fort Worth Texas, so there's a possibility this is her. In 1953 she was the leading catalyst behind The Women in Construction of Fort Worth. She got the ball rolling because she wanted to, and I quote, “to create a support network for women working in a male-dominated field”
Lizi: Yes Doris! So we don't know how exactly she was in construction, correct?
Norgerie: DAS IT! You know what bothered me the most. I could not find what trades any of these women did. How were they involved in construction? I wish I had time and money to uncover that information.
Lizi: Yeah that's a real bummer that you couldn't find more information on them. I'm glad that we at least know who the women that started the organization were though.
Jessica: yeah atleast we can say their names
Norgerie: Yeah, small wins. NAWIC is the largest Women in Construction focused group in the US but there are two Hispanic women-focused groups I came across during my research that I'd like to put on your radar. One is “Patronas” focusing on empowering Hispanic Women in Construction.
Jessica: Ughh I love that name
Norgerie: It was started and is run by Carla Terreros. They host networking events in Houston Texas, where women can meet others across trades, project management, GC, and share valuable insight and resources with each other.
Lizi: Very cool.
Jessica: Nice - it’s great to hear about these trades.
Norgerie: And the second is Latinas in Construction. They are based in Washington D.C. and also aim to support Hispanic women in construction at any stage in their career. It was begun in 2020 by Edith Yanez, it actually started out as Hispanics in Construction a year earlier. This was an online initiative aimed at supporting Spanish-speaking professionals with technical construction skills, improving their English, and preparing for General Contractor license exams in Maryland and Virginia.
Jessica: love this -
Norgerie: As she built this online platform, I'm sure Edith was like I want to do more, and Latina in Construction DC was born. They continue to support women starting out, advancing their technical skills, getting ready for those exams. On top of that they also support women further along in their career who want to rise up to leadership positions in their companies or start and run their own business. They offer guidance navigating state licensing, mentorship, and business development skills.
Lizi: Those are such important things to help navigate.
Jessica: they are - looking at their website - they have a lot of online courses and training, like professional estimating, blueprint reading, and even OSHA certifications - they offer more than what we mentioned.
Norgerie: Yeah, cause we don't have time to go deep into everything. So listeners go to our show notes so you can find links to get more information on this group. Right now they are working on a hands-on initiative they aim to launch in September. Hopefully we can schedule a charette with them soon so they can share more details on these efforts and how we can support them.
Lizi: That would be awesome.
Jessica: YES - we must! They sound great.
Norgerie: In their own words “We are more than just a training organization; we are a vibrant and unstoppable community rooted in sisterhood and solidarity. We believe that when women uplift each other, we all rise together. Women in construction do not only build structures; they build families, communities, and legacies. They ensure the well-being of everyone around them, including children beyond their own.”
Lizi: That's so beautiful!
Jessica: HERE HERE
Norgerie: I also want to shine a light on a few Women in Construction groups across Latin America. Let’s get in our cars and drive down the continent. Ready ladies?
Lizi: Road trip ready.
Jessica: I’ll bring the snacks
Norgerie: Let’s go girls. Our first stop is Costa Rica, where the Chamber of Construction has a program called “Mujer Construye” Woman Builds. This program has three initiatives. The first one is “Mujeres en Terreno” Women on Site, focusing training for skilled labor and supervisors on the field. The second one, “Mujeres en Alto Mando” Women on the Top Command, this one aims to bring more visibility to women in leadership and entrepreneurs”. And last but not least “Mujeres en el Gremio” Women in the Industry, which encourages women to participate in committees, by being a part of the Executive Committees or the Board. I think this is really great and one of the Caryatids Viviana Yock is a part of it. Future charette alert!!
Lizi: Wow. Sounds like they are doing a lot and really trying to focus on all areas of the industry and getting women involved.
Jessica: *blow airhorns so many great things are happening
Norgerie: Time to move on to our next stop on the road trip. We're headed to Bolivia.
Lizi: Woo!
Jessica: Vamonos!
Norgerie: In 2014 in the capital La Paz a group of ladies began La Asociación de Mujeres Constructoras, Association of Women Builders aka ASOMUC. As with other groups it began by organizing workshops for women to level up their trade skills and then grew into more. Today through a series of initiatives they seek to create an equitable and respectable work environment for women in construction. Their workshops also go beyond trade skills, they also teach leadership training, business, among other skills as a way to empower and encourage women resilience and independence.
Lizi: I love to hear how the organizations develop as they figure out what the participants need.
Jessica: Can I just say - I just love hearing all of these initiatives happening all over the world.
Norgerie: They also seek to create an atmosphere of mentorship and sorority among the women, which is very needed in the male dominated field of construction. They shine a light on each other and to the professional community to raise awareness of their capacity and the value of their work, seeking respect and equal pay.
Lizi: That's right ladies! Ask for what you deserve!
Jessica: here here!
Norgerie: In 2019 ASOMUC received national recognition and evolved into La Asociación de Mujeres Constructoras de Bolivia, The Bolivian Association of Women Builders aka AMUCBOL.
Lizi: Going national.
Jessica: love to see it
Norgerie: AMUCBOL is supported by Red Habitat, a Non Profit NGO that has existed since 1993. They are focused on improving the living conditions of populations in vulnerable situations by promoting decent work, adequate housing and the sustainable and healthy development of communities. They’re pretty huge and have a big range of programs.
Lizi: That sounds really amazing.
Jessica: It really is.
Norgerie: Now let's get back in the car, for the last stop on the road trip, get ready for some great music and Capiriñas' cause we are heading to Brazil. There we find the Women in Construction Institute which is a part of the Brazil Foundation. It began in 2006 in Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul. Fun fact: Rio Grande do Sul is a state on the south of the country on the coast, it borders Uruguay. I hope you brought a bathing suit cause we are gonna make a stop at the beach.
Lizi: yayyy! I could use some beach time.
Jessica: girl you had me at Caprinas
Norgerie: Also, if we find ourselves in São Paulo, we can find the group Women in Construction there too. Just a short 14hr drive away. The good news is that we can get our sunbathing on there too.
Jessica: love it
Norgerie: Anyway don't want to make it seem like our priority in Brazil is the beach, though lets be honest, with us it probably is. But no no our priority is to learn more about the Women in Construction Institute.
Lizi: The beach is a close second though.
Jessica: we can have both
Norgerie: They promote the inclusion and autonomy of women in vulnerable situations by preparing them for and creating job opportunities in the construction sector. They’ve trained more than 7,000 women to date. I think that’s such a great mission that they took it just one step further to focus on women in situations where they are really in need to find independence and to move forward. In 2024, they launched a campaign to change the signs of Men at Work to be People at Work to create a more inclusive environment for women in the construction industry.
Lizi: oh that's cool!
Jessica: 7,000 women??!! That is amazing - look at these people at work
Norgerie: The Institute has received many awards from the Womanity Foundation’s Women Changemakers and the Empowering Women Award at the XXI New York Gala of Brazil Foundation. Also they’ve received recognition from the Clinton Global Initiative.
Lizi: Happy to hear they're being recognized for their initiatives.
Jessica: yeah that’s awesome
Norgerie: And with that we're hopping in our car and making our way back to the US for our caryatid. Is there any pit stop you wanna make along the way?
Lizi: I mean I wouldn't say no to a beach pit stop.
Jessica: Can I have another Caprina first?
Norgerie: All right, now we have reached the second part of our episode, the Caryatid. A caryatid is a stone carving of a woman, used as a column or a pillar to support the structure of a Greek or Greek-style building. In each episode we choose a “caryatid” -- a woman who is working today, furthering the profession through their work, and who ties into the historical woman of our episode. Drum roll please…
Norgerie: Rita Brown!
Lizi and Jessica: (applause) Yeay!
Norgerie: Our road trip ends in a state close to Lizi's heart, our last stop for real is Birmingham Michigan, where Rita Brown is the President and CEO of BCC, a company that provides structural and miscellaneous steel and consulting for steel related projects.
Lizi: Ahhhh! I love this. My dad grew up in Birmingham, and Rita sounds like she means business.
Jessica: that sounds really cool
Norgerie: She is also the Transportation Commissioner for the State of Michigan, and the 2025-2026 President of the (NAWIC).
Lizi: just some casual political jobs in there as well. Way to go Rita.
Jessica: I love that - I am happy that we highlighted so many organizations today and I love learning about Rita and another part of the industry.
Norgerie: Before we say goodbye we want to say thank you to CMYK for the music, John W our technical advisor. And most of all thank you for listening!
Lizi: Remember to check out our show notes for links to all of our resources on this episode as well as pictures of projects we’ve talked about.
Norgerie: We hope you enjoyed learning about today’s lady and caryatid along with our banter, and that you are inspired to find out more about them and other amazing professional ladies. Again, thank you.
Jessica: Please let us know what you thought of our episode. If you’ve enjoyed it please help us spread the word. Tell your friends and give us 5 stars on Itunes and Spotify, and write us a review, this will all help us reach a wider audience and for more people to learn about these amazing ladies with us.
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Norgerie: We are excited to hear from you and for you to come back and keep learning about bosses with us. You can email us your thoughts at shebuildspodcast@gmail.com, leave a comment on our website shebuildspodcast.com, or follow us on instagram and facebook @shebuildspodcast, and on X @shebuildspod. See ya!
References
Admin. “How Safety Gear Has Changed for Women Construction Workers.” NAWIC.ORG, 22 May 2025, nawic.org/how-safety-gear-has-changed-for-women-construction-workers.
ASOMUC - EL TRABAJO INCANSABLE DE LAS MUJERES ... share.google/dinWg21q3frLhrBkh.
“Brown Named President of NAWIC’s 2025-2026 National Board.” Michigan Contractor & Builder, acppubs.com/MCB/article/20DE3122-brown-named-president-of-nawic-s-2025-2026-national-board.
Cámara Costarricense De La Construcción – Cámara Costarricense De La Construcción. construccion.co.cr.
CISCSA Ciudades Feministas. “Entrevista a Asociación De Mujeres Constructoras - ASOMUC Bolivia (2019).” YouTube, 30 Sept. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jXAuy6ueeQ.
Doodleweb. “About Us - Patronas: Women in Construction.” Patronas: Women in Construction, 21 Apr. 2026, patronas.us/about.
“The History of Personal Protective Equipment.” UniversalClass.com, www.universalclass.com/articles/business/the-history-of-personal-protective-equipment.htm.
“IMEC – Women in Construction Institute Fund of BrazilFoundation.” BrazilFoundation, 13 May 2026, brazilfoundation.org/en/know-more/how-we-support/imec-fund.
“PPE for Women in Construction.” Bryson, www.bryson.co.uk/news/view/ppe-for-women-in-construction.
The Center for Construction Research and Training. “CPWR Construction Personal Protective Equipment for All Genders and Sizes.” CPWR, 1 June 2026, www.cpwr.com/research/research-to-practice-r2p/r2p-library/resources-for-stakeholders-and-researchers/construction-personal-protective-equipment-for-the-female-workforce.
Wikipedia contributors. “National Association of Women in Construction.” Wikipedia, 26 Apr. 2026, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Women_in_Construction.
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