Jennifer Ingram
Senior Vice President, Equity and Inclusion
Jen is an award-winning business leader, author, and catalyst for community change. Jen moved to the Bay Area and joined MidPen Housing in April of 2022 as the company’s first-ever Senior Vice President of Equity and Inclusion. In her role, she is responsible for strategic oversight and programmatic delivery of initiatives that advance the organization’s vision for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB).
Jennifer has also had a tremendous community impact. She created and served as the lead fiscal sponsor for the “Young Gifted and Black Living Legacy Fund” scholarship and grants program in partnership with Black Cincy Pride. In 2020, Ingram was responsible for leading the planning and implementation of the inaugural community-wide event in the Tri-State area in recognition of the National Day of Racial Healing; an event that has since grown to touch thousands of community members. She is also responsible for organizing and moderating the first ever LGBT+ centered discussion at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center titled, “The Crossroads of Identity and Experiences in the LGBT+ Community”.
Topic: CA Assembly Bill 2873
Jay Bennett
Bio and headshot forthcoming!
Mick Penn
Community Relations Director
Mick Penn works for Swinerton as the Northern California Regional Community Relations Liaison. Mr. Penn spearheads Swinerton’s workforce development, small, diverse, veteran business outreach and community engagement in Northern California. Mr. Penn currently serves on the board of directors of the Western Regional Minority Supplier Development Council, Cypress Mandela Training Center, Mission Hiring Hall, Construction Industry Education Foundation Board of Trustees, and the City of Richmond Workforce Development Board. In 2021, Mr. Penn was named the Western Regional Minority Development Council’s Supplier Diversity Leader of the Year and the Associated General Contractors of California’s Construction Education Foundation Friend Award winner. Mr. Penn has a BA from San Francisco State and a Master of Public Administration from University of San Francisco.
Len Turner
Co-Founder
As the co-founder of the Construction Resource Center (CRC), Len has utilized his degree in Business Administration and experience in General Construction to not only build a family-owned construction company but establish a platform to help other aspiring tradespersons and contractors to do the same. As a former Design Engineer, Len worked for IBM and several sub-subsidiaries for 18 years managing Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas. Over an eleven-year period, he helped to grow his family construction company's revenue to over $16M annually. He successfully forged business partnerships with TURNER Construction, Swinerton, Rudolph & Sletten, KAISER, City of Richmond, and City of Oakland. These relationships, his skill in sustaining a diverse business, and his ability to help others motivated Len to work at mitigating the access gap in the industry. He has co-authored a series of Ultimate Construction Guides that increase the skills and profit margin of CRC members. Len continues to work diligently at providing a continuum of innovative education that bridges the gap between "Brick-and-Mortar" and "Business Ownership".
Bio and headshot forthcoming!
Brooke Droege
Supplier Diversity & Community Outreach Manager
Brooke joined McCarthy Building Companies in early 2023 as a Supplier Diversity & Community Outreach Manager. She is working to include diverse and local businesses on the UC Davis Health hospital tower project in Sacramento. Prior to McCarthy, Brooke worked for the state of California’s Department of General Services where, as a Business Outreach Manager, she led a team dedicated to promoting the state’s supplier diversity program through outreach, education, and advocacy with the goal of increasing California’s small and diverse business contracting participation. Brooke holds a BA and MA degree in Communication Studies from Sacramento State University and prior to her time with the state, she taught Communication Studies for five years at Sacramento State University and Los Rios Community Colleges. Brooke is passionate about providing contracting opportunities to small and diverse businesses, particularly within underserved communities. She strives to continue working to connect with businesses to help them grow and gain valuable experience as project partners.
Melanie Dodson
Sr. Precon Director
Melanie Dodson is a Sr. Precon Director at McCarthy Building Companies with 30 years of experience in the construction industry, including 26 years specializing in tenant improvements. Her career has been rooted in preconstruction, where she has developed a passion for delivering high-quality commercial tenant improvement projects across the tech, medical, and life science sectors. She is excited to connect and share insights at this event.
