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Women Marching Forward, with ASHRAE's Nancy Kohout

June 3, 2024
PODCAST: Later this month, the first 'Women in ASHRAE Leadership Symposium' debuts in Chicago. Here, the event chair provides a preview.

In June, HPAC On The Air welcomed Nancy KohoutP.E., LEED AP, chair of the first-ever Women in ASHRAE Leadership Symposium, set for Chicago, September 26-27.

A principal and mechanical practice lead at SmithGroup in Chicago, Kohout here previews the event, tells us how it all came to be, and discusses some of the unique challenges still faced by women in this industry, especially in management.

“I sometimes find I am leading meetings where I am the only woman in the room,” notes Kohout. “In that situation, not only do I have to be technically capable and competent, but for a woman, there’s also an extra lift... I have to be warm. I have to be caring. I have to soften things with humor. I would love to see us not expect that someday. But it is what it is and it’s still there.”

For the rest of this month's episode, click below...

About the Author

Rob McManamy | Editor in Chief

An industry reporter and editor since 1987, McManamy joined HPAC Engineering in September 2017, after three years with BuiltWorlds.com, a Chicago-based media startup focused on tech innovation in the built environment. He has been covering design and construction issues for more than 30 years, having started at Engineering News-Record (ENR) in New York, before becoming its Midwest Bureau Chief in 1990. In 1998, McManamy was named Editor-in-Chief of Design-Build magazine, where he served for four years. He subsequently worked as an editor and freelance writer for Building Design + Construction and Public Works magazines.

A native of Bronx, NY, he is a graduate of both the University of Virginia, and The John Marshall Law School in Chicago.

Contact him at [email protected].