East Hartford, CT – The Construction Institute of East Hartford, Conn. recently announced its 2023 Champions of Change awardees. Each year, the Construction Institute honors one woman and one man within the AEC/O industry for their contributions as role models who mentor and support women and others in the industry and whose personal dedication improves the industry.
Francis X. Hayes
This year’s awardees are Francis (Frank) X. Hayes, president of BOND Building Construction, and Lisa Clauson, director of strategic partnerships at the North Atlantic States Carpenters Labor Management Program, Central and Western MA.
Hayes has over 30 years of expertise in the construction industry. He is being recognized for his exceptional leadership, management skills, and track record of successful project delivery, and for playing a pivotal role in spearheading various strategic initiatives, including developing the people strategies, expansion plans, and cutting-edge technology platforms that have been instrumental in driving BOND Building’s growth and success. Hayes says he is passionate about gender diversity in the workplace and has been an active proponent of initiatives promoting women’s inclusion and advancement in construction.
Lisa Clauson
Since 2016, Clauson has worked for the Carpenters Union recruiting women and people of color to the field and working to expand diversity in the construction industry, both within the workforce and with MBEs and WBEs. She helps facilitate the Policy Group on Tradeswomen’s Issues and this work has focused on recruiting more women and gender non-conforming people to the industry, and persuading owners of construction projects to incorporate construction diversity plans into their projects. Clauson also works for the Carpenters Union on policy campaigns, research, and business development in her region and strategic campaigns targeting developers and contractors that engage in wage theft.
Hayes and Clauson will be recognized at the 2023 Women Who Build Summit on April 26-27 at UMass Amherst.
