WOC is celebrating Women in Construction Week from March 2 to March 8, 2025, by highlighting the contributions of women at H.J. Russell & Company (Russell), a leading privately held construction firm.

According to a recent report by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, approximately 939,000 women are employed in various roles within the construction industry, representing 9.1 percent of the workforce in the United States.

However, the proportion of African American women in this field is only about 1.3 percent. Despite this small representation, which has grown over the years, Russell has made significant strides in promoting women to key positions of influence and power within the company.

Although these women may not be physically laying bricks or hoisting steel beams, they certainly do essential work at Russell. Delilah, Yasmine, Elaine, Lonoia, and Tiffanie are Pictured from left to right in the Russell lobby.

Delilah Wynn-Brown recently served as a senior program manager at Russell, where she played a crucial role in planning, market-rate development, and program management. Her responsibilities span various service areas, from conceptual visioning through financing, design, construction, and marketing to leasing. Delilah led the planning, closing, and execution of several development projects, managing more than $85 million in social equity, public-private partnerships (P3), transit-oriented development (TOD), and complex urban development projects, including retail, mixed-use, multifamily workforce, and market-rate housing.

Yasmine Antoine is Russell's chief operating officer and general counsel, serving as a key resource for CEO Michael Russell. She ensures that the company's vision and goals are effectively executed. Yasmine oversees the company's legal functions, including corporate transactions and partnerships, regulatory compliance, litigation, dispute resolution, risk management and mitigation, employment, real estate development, property management, and acquisitions.

Elaine Ubakanma is the vice president of human resources at Russell. She leads as a strategic business partner, change agent, and champion, providing coaching and development counseling to the company's senior leaders, managers, and supervisors. Elaine collaborates closely with the CEO on cultural transformation efforts, making Russell one of the best places to work in the industry.

Lonoia Brooks served as Russell's director of marketing, providing support to the construction and program management divisions. This included proposal development, general promotion, public relations, social media, and brand reputation management. She also managed the Russell website and corporate marketing strategy.

Tiffanie Lewis, who began her career at Russell 25 years ago as a high school student working in the mailroom, is now the vice president of diversity, equity & inclusion, reporting directly to the CEO. Previously, Tiffanie managed the company's IT, office management, and compliance departments. She led initiatives to develop, execute, and maintain regulatory compliance monitoring and reporting programs, addressing various technical matters related to information technology and the code of ethics. Additionally, she assisted in resolving compliance-related issues, conducting file audits, and other related tasks.

Donata Russell Ross (not pictured), the daughter of the late Herman J. Russell, also served on Russell's Board of Directors.

👷‍♀️Join us in celebrating Women in Construction Week! Since 1998, this week has honored and promoted the incredible contributions of women in the construction industry. Let's continue to support and empower these trailblazing women! #WICWeek #WomenInConstruction #EmpowerWomen #CI pic.twitter.com/fxLNkRQJyh

— Construction Institute of ASCE (@CI_ASCE) March 2, 2025