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Attendees at round tables listen to a speaker at the Women in Engineering Symposium at the McNamara Alumni Center

ACEC Minnesota’s Women in Engineering Committee connects women across Minnesota’s consulting engineering industry. The committee builds community through programming focused on leadership, career development, and mentorship, and it creates space for women at every career stage to learn from one another.

In 2026 the committee launched its signature event: the Women in Engineering Symposium, a full-day program that will return annually.

Built to Lead: The Inaugural Symposium

The first Women in Engineering Symposium, Built to Lead, took place on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at the McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota campus. The full-day program brought together women from consulting engineering firms and public agencies across Minnesota.

The agenda included keynote presentations, a leadership panel, and afternoon breakout sessions on workforce trends and career development. Programming was structured to mix attendees across firms, disciplines, and career stages, with intentional networking built into the day. The room was designed for conversation rather than lecture, and the conversations carried well past the official agenda.

The symposium will return in 2027.

Scenes from June 2

Click any photo to download it.

ACEC Minnesota President and CEO Megan Dayton opens the symposium beneath the Built to Lead title slide
A keynote speaker presents to the symposium audience
A featured speaker presents during the morning program
Attendees in conversation at round tables in University Hall
Megan Dayton leads the workforce trends breakout session
The leadership panel takes questions from the audience
A panelist responds during the leadership panel
An attendee smiles during the lunch program
Attendees work through a table exercise together
Attendees in discussion at a round table
Attendees raise their hands during an interactive lunch session
Attendees follow a presentation from their tables
Event signage for the ACEC Women in Engineering Symposium at University Hall
Interior of the McNamara Alumni Center at the University of Minnesota
Members of the Women in Engineering Committee outside the McNamara Alumni Center

The Committee Behind the Symposium

The Women in Engineering Committee planned and delivered the inaugural symposium. The committee designed the program around a simple idea: women in this industry advance faster when they are connected to one another, and those connections rarely form by accident.

The committee meets throughout the year and welcomes new members from ACEC Minnesota member firms. Committee work includes symposium planning, mentorship programming, and events hosted by member firms across the state.

2026 Committee members:

  • Lisa Breuer
  • Cara Hall
  • Amy Denz
  • Whitney Stamer
  • Beth Winter

To join the committee or learn more, contact Kelly Smeltzer.

Thank You to Our 2026 Sponsors

Sponsor support made the inaugural symposium possible and kept registration accessible for women across the industry. ACEC Minnesota thanks the firms that invested in this event in its first year.

Presenting Sponsor

Trailblazer

Catalyst

Builder

Sponsorship opportunities for the 2027 symposium will open later this year. Sponsoring this event puts your firm in front of women leaders across Minnesota’s engineering industry and demonstrates a visible commitment to developing them.

Ask about 2027 sponsorship
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