March 5, 2026
The Engineer Who Lets the Work Do the Talking
Women in Construction Week 2026 — those who level up and never stop building.
In construction, the job tells you who you are pretty quickly. You either rise to it, or you don't. For the women who've built careers at Stacy Witbeck, rising was just the start. Leveling up is the daily motion.
Women now make up 14% of the construction workforce. The number is growing. The stories behind it are better.
Spotlight: Charlene Suarez — Field Engineer, Southern California
Charlene started in the Long Beach, California, office before moving into the field as an intern. After completing her internship, she converted to a full-time team member. On her first day on the rail side, she locked her keys in the car and hid behind the vehicle until the lot cleared out—a story she laughs about now. Today, she’s back in Long Beach, gearing up for a Port of Long Beach project.
Five years in, she’s the kind of engineer who walks onto a job site knowing what she wants to say before anyone asks. Over that time, she’s also seen her office shift toward a more balanced team of men and women, which is a change that reflects thoughtful investment and intentional support for diversity.
"The work is complex. I come onto a job site ready to listen and focus on the work at hand."
Charlene talks about the complexity of the work—rail systems, port infrastructure, large scopes where delivery is non-negotiable. It’s the kind of responsibility that makes everything else feel manageable. Her teams trust her to deliver because she consistently does.
"Something happens in my personal life and I think, this is not that big of a deal compared to what I deal with at work. It makes you stronger. And it's empowering to see your work come to life."
Charlene thinks through everything carefully, taking her time on the small details. She meets challenges with quiet confidence, letting her presence do the talking. On the things that matter most, she already knows the answer before she walks in the room. That’s what leveling up looks like in practice: not about being louder, but about being steadier and stronger.
In construction, your work speaks for itself. Charlene's work has been speaking volumes.