Board Members

Ida Brooker is the owner and president of Construction Consulting NorthWest, a mentoring firm for S/WBE firms in the construction industry. Previously, she served as the construction contract expert for The Boeing Company and collaborated with that firm for over 30 years.

Her earlier positions included Chief Financial Officer at Hovick Construction Company. Brooker is serving as board president of the WCOE Resource Center and was a national past president and is a WCOE, USA charter member.

Karen Barbour began her surety career in 1987. In 2002, she founded The Barbour Group, LLC, a nationally licensed brokerage firm focused on construction bonding and advocacy. Barber's advocacy at the federal and state levels was instrumental in passing legislation that reduced obstacles and increased opportunities for small and minority construction firms, including the Subcontractors Equal Access to Bonding Act (2013) and the Change Order Fairness Act (2016).

Barbour was recently appointed to the U.S. Small Business Association's National SBDC Advisory Board and the MAA (BWI) Small & Minority Business Advisory Council. In 2016, she co-founded the Alliance for Hispanic Commercial Contractors, a training and educational platform focused on procurement and fostering sustainable growth for Hispanic commercial contractors.

Lee Cunningham is chair of the WCOE Legislative Committee and the CEO of BT Metal Sales, a 68-year-old family business founded by her father. Following her father's footsteps, Cunningham has expanded the company, supplying high-quality metal to the military, construction, and transportation industries. BT Metals is one of the country's few HUBZone-certified metals distributors.

Cunningham's commitment to family and community and her staunch support for small businesses have made her a nationally recognized advocate for women in the construction industry. She is the chair of the General Services Small Business Council. She serves on the California High-Speed Rail Business Advisory Council, the Caltrans Small Business Council, and the Small Business Opportunities Advisory Panel for the Air Quality Board.

Scale Construction Inc. is a 29-year-old, owner-operated company in Chicago near South Side. Scale seeks clients whose goals closely match those of the company - to build a quality product safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively. Such client relationships are the basis for Scale's success. Scale offers the finest construction management and engineering services from project's conception through completion. The firm is a certified WBE and MBE construction manager and general contractor that can self-perform rough and finish carpentry and concrete.

Theresa Kern is president and sole shareholder of MA Rebar Services, Inc., one of the Chicago area's largest women-owned subcontracting firms specializing in all facets of reinforcing steel placement for the commercial, industrial, heavy and high-rise construction markets. For more than three decades, Kern has supervised the company's participation in many of Chicago's largest construction projects.

Margery Newman is a Partner with Downey & Lenkov LLC. She concentrates her practice in construction law, including complex construction litigation in both the private and public sectors, and related business litigation. Newman's clients are primarily owners, general contractors, specialty trade contractors and disadvantaged business enterprises.

She places particular emphasis in client counseling on the drafting and negotiation of construction contracts, mechanics' lien claims and foreclosure actions, construction defects, MBE, WBE and DBE certification and compliance.

Christi Powell has established herself as a leader in the construction industry. With more than 30 years of experience, Powell has a wealth of knowledge to share with others. Through her current position in the Women Business Enterprise Division for 84 Lumber Company, she is able to facilitate the growth and success for 84 Lumber's WBE certification as well as support WBE and MBE contractors.

She oversees the operations and business development of the WBE department, while developing community and associate awareness of diversity in construction. With strong leadership skills and a focus on teamwork, Christi is ready to take the MWBE program to new heights.

Brenda Radmacher is a Partner at Akerman LLP, where she leads the firm's Construction Industry Group on the West Coast, providing pragmatic counsel on construction strategies and drafting for vertical construction and infrastructure projects. A prolific contributor to thought leadership, Radmacher is a sought-after speaker and trainer and provided firsthand workshop training on negotiation and contract risk management.

She is a Construction Lawyers Society of America Fellow and served as co-chair of the 2024 ABA Forum on Construction's Annual Meeting and chair of this year's Associated General Contractors-California. For nearly 30 years, attorney Brenda Radmacher has resolved complex construction disputes through negotiation, mediation, and arbitration/ litigation on projects in California, nationwide, and internationally.

Dianna Richardson is the owner and president of Richardson Hauling, Inc, a trucking company serving the Kansas City Metro area since 1993. Richardson has established excellent, long-lasting working relationships with many revered contractors and strongly values the work and dedication of her employees. She is active in Associated Builders and Contractors KC, Unified Contractors of Kansas City, WCOE Kansas City Chapter, and also serves as chair of The Single Mom KC, a non-profit organization supporting single moms.

Deborah Wilder has been a licensed attorney in Oregon and California for more than 40 years, specializing in labor and employment law. She is the founder and president of Contractor Compliance and Monitoring Inc., a third-party consulting company that helps public agencies and large developers/prime contractors monitor, audit, review and comply with state and federal wage requirements, including negotiating and complying with Project Labor Agreements.

Her firm is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay area with offices in San Diego, Phoenix, Seattle, and Maryland. Wilder is the former mayor of Foster City, CA, and past national president of WCOE. She is the author of three books "What Every Contractor Should Know About Prevailing Wages", "AGC of America's Davis Bacon Compliance Manual", and "Davis Bacon Handbook for Public Agencies".

Christine Yerkes is the owner and CEO of Yerkes South Inc, an SBA 8(a), woman-owned, SDV-owned design-build, construction and renovation company focused on military and federal construction. Yerkes is a retired navy commander, civil engineer corps officer who served various tours of duty working for NAVFAC, Seabee's, and Base Facilities for 14 years active duty and seven years reserve duty.

From 2009-2015 she was resident engineer and administrative contracting officer for Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, at Eglin AFB. Previously, she was NAVFAC SE technical director and project manager. Yerkes was DAWIA level 2 contracting officer for construction contracts. She is a registered professional engineer and certified general contractor.

Doris Zografos founded EASE Painting and Construction Inc. in 2010. EASE is an AMPP QP-1 and AMPP QS-1 painting contractor, certified to provide field applications of coatings to complex structures. EASE self-performs industrial, commercial, and marine preservation services that include surface preparation and high-performance protective coatings applications, industrial cleaning, environmental remediation, and general construction services.

EASE has successfully completed 300+ contracts nationwide and has expanded services to extend worldwide. EASE is a certified HUBZone, MDOT, and Woman-Owned Small Business, primarily operating as a U.S. federal prime contractor.