WCOE is focused on helping our members’ businesses grow and prosper. Dedicated to creating a level playing field for women-owned firms in the construction industry, WCOE is proud to represent large and small women-owned firms as well as executive women in policy-making positions with some of the largest corporations in the country.
WCOE has a prestigious reputation on Capitol Hill and uses that influence to advocate for issues important to women who have entered the construction industry. Whether it is equal federal contracting opportunities, opposition to onerous federal regulatory burdens, support for expanding access to business financing, or participation in Congressional hearings, WCOE represents our members’ business interests.
Karen Barbour is the President and Founder of The Barbour Group, LLC (TBG), a nationally licensed surety brokerage firm she established in 2002. TBG is a certified DBE, WBE, WOSB, and WBENC firm with offices in Maryland and Tennessee, focused on construction bonding and industry advocacy. Karen began her surety career in 1985 and has long championed small and minority contractors. Her advocacy led to a Federal Acquisition Regulation change in 1997 and major legislative wins, including Maryland's Subcontractors Equal Access to Bonding Act (2013) and the Change Order Fairness Act (2016).
Lynette Thompson works for Gresham Smith in their Risk Management Corporate Services Group. She assists the team in contract reviews, insurance placements, claims management, and risk mitigation practices for the firm, with 30+ years of knowledge and experience in the construction industry.
Mary Theresa Duffy is owner of Scale Construction Inc., a 35-year-old, owner-operated company near the South Side of Chicago. Scale is a certified WBE and MBE construction manager and general contractor that can self-perform rough and finish carpentry and concrete.
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. Wilder is a former mayor of Foster City, CA, and a past national president of WCOE.
Bio coming soon.