Courtney’s first introduction to project controls was reading the job description for a cost analyst role for an internship when she was in college. That job description influenced the rest of her studies at Purdue University. As a civil engineering major, she elected to take construction management courses, learning about basic scheduling, cost, and construction law. Although she didn’t take the internship that summer, she did land a full-time project controls position with that company her senior year. “It was the project work, team atmosphere, and client interactions that really drew me in,” she said. “I quickly fell in love with the balance of analytical expertise, and effective soft skills to foster team collaboration.”

Courtney’s role on a project team is unique. She acts as the translator between multiple stakeholders, distilling large sets of complex cost data and providing a simple, concise summary to communicate project trends and recommendations. When you ask her to describe her current role she says, “I not only provide support for successful projects, but I train project managers and influence company cost standards to build a culture that is focused on project controls.”

During the past eight years she has worked on small power generation projects in Kansas, a large oil and gas program in Oklahoma, a water pipeline supply project in Colorado, and a utility scale solar array in Florida. She was part of a team that did cost analysis for hurricane restoration in Texas and schedule support for property renovation and clean room construction for medical manufacturing in Chicago. Most recently, she served as an owner’s representative for a utility company’s facility renovation projects in Chicago and Milwaukee.

Courtney’s professional skills have expanded since joining Cotter Consulting, a woman-owned project and construction management firm, based in Chicago. “Training and learning opportunities at Cotter have helped me to grow and develop at an accelerated pace. I feel lucky to work at a firm that supports professional development and for the opportunity to learn directly from Anne Cotter. She always makes herself available to provide guidance and insight.  I’ve also really enjoyed having the opportunity for more direct client interface on projects.”

Courtney became involved with AACE when she was hired by Cotter Consulting in 2018. As a member, she regularly participates in webinars and attended the annual AACE conference this past June. She was able to join the in-person conference in Boston and found the experience to be invaluable. “It was an incredible opportunity to connect with experts in the industry, learn about other professionals’ career paths and experiences, and gain exposure to topics I’m not exposed to on a daily basis.” Courtney believes these connections are important resources to solicit second opinions or partnership opportunities. “These connections have the potential to pivot your career or give you the ability to make a positive impact on someone else’s future”.

Courtney was certified as a CCP in 2020, which had been one of her career goals since joining AACE. “It was important to me to have credentials to establish myself in my industry,” she says of the certification. “AACE has created resources, such as the virtual library and recommended practices, that have added value to my career. I highly recommend membership to young professionals in project controls.”

Courtney has guidance for anyone else starting out in this industry. “The best career advice I can give is to say “yes” and figure out the rest later,” she says. “My entire career has been a series of “yes’s” to questions I was unsure about. Whether it’s a career path you want to pursue or you decide to pivot your professional path, you’ve learned something new just by saying yes. There is no such thing as a wasted opportunity.”