From Intern to CEO: A Woman’s Journey in Green Construction
In MHN's Women's History Month kickoff, Bright Power's Andrea Mancino discusses leadership and mentorship.
With more awareness than ever, women’s presence in business environments continues to grow. But for leadership roles within STEM and construction sectors, being a woman adds more complexity. This Women’s History Month, in celebration of female leaders and role models, Multi-Housing News is asking several real estate professionals to share their thoughts on the challenges and opportunities they’ve encountered in their journeys.
Andrea Mancino is one of the few women working in green construction. She joined Bright Power as an intern more than a decade ago, but that internship turned into a job that meant working on “extremely detailed and technical projects with clear intended outcomes,” she reminisces.
Later, her role shifted to managing teams, operations, business and client relationships, culminating with the CEO position in 2023. “The biggest honor of my career thus far,” she calls it.
Like other firms, Bright Power was established as a startup business in 2004 in New York City, and has been part of the real estate industry’s shift toward prioritizing sustainability as best practice, particularly in affordable housing. Over the past 20 years, Bright Power has been instrumental in reducing carbon emissions by more than 667 million pounds of carbon dioxide across 158,000 buildings and 2.9 billion square feet of real estate. Mancino has been part of this journey for more than a decade, so we asked her to reflect on her career odyssey within the company.
READ ALSO: Sustainability Trends Here to Stay
First, tell us a bit about your focus areas and flagship projects.
Mancino: We are our clients’ long-term sustainability and energy partner. That means we work with real estate owners, operators and developers throughout the lifecycle of their properties. This year, one big area of focus for many buildings in New York City is working toward Local Law 97 compliance. We have been largely concentrated on supporting our clients with compliance expertise, including comprehensive energy audits, incentive procurement and emissions reporting.
On the new construction side, we offer high-performance design and green building consulting, along with solar feasibility consulting, incentive procurement, energy modeling, construction QA and building commissioning. Our engagement with clients is through our EnergyScoreCards software, which provides an ongoing analysis of a portfolio’s energy and water usage, allowing us to identify opportunities to increase portfolio value.
A current project we are excited about is the Gail P. Duke Senior Residence, which is a new affordable residential building for older adults in Brownsville, Brooklyn. It recently achieved Phius CORE 2021 Design certification, before construction completion. Bright Power supported this project with Passive House and solar design consulting and building commissioning. The building, which is expected to be completed in mid-2026, will feature heat pump water heaters, a central VRF system, energy recovery ventilators and solar photovoltaic panels for onsite energy generation.
As a sustainability advocate, what would you say are some of the key points that have helped build your career at Bright Power?
Mancino: When I started 11 years ago, the industry was predominantly male-focused. Being on construction sites and with design teams gave me a first-hand perspective on how to be a woman in a male-dominated field.
I found that networking and being as active as possible in relevant organizations really staked my claim as an expert in the field and someone who was going to fight for change. I am extremely active in the industry and have found networking to be one of the most powerful tools personally and professionally.
In addition, having a mentor, or someone you can look up to and ask for advice, has been incredibly important to me throughout my career. I’m not afraid to be inquisitive or acknowledge what I don’t know, and I’m always learning from people at all levels of their careers.
READ ALSO: Zooming In on Phius, an Increasingly Popular Passive Building Certification
Tell us more about your experience with mentors and mentees.
Mancino: … I make it a priority to mentor and support others in the field, especially women in construction. It is really exciting to see how many women are breaking into the field, especially in senior leadership roles. The tides are definitely shifting, and I will continue to encourage women to support each other and advocate for themselves.
It’s not always natural for someone to reach out and seek a mentor, so I make it a point to offer my support directly and create a welcoming environment, especially for those who are more reserved.
As CEO, I am fortunate to leverage my experience to lead a diverse team, mentor employees in their professional growth, and foster an inclusive company culture where everyone feels empowered to succeed. It is important to remember that you do not need to be a CEO or manager to be a mentor.
What’s it like now, being a CEO? Is there something you miss from previous roles you’ve held here?
Mancino: I’m constantly thinking about how Bright Power fits in the bigger picture and balancing all stakeholders, from employees to clients and industry partners. I do miss working on projects. There is nothing like getting out onsite, crawling through boiler rooms, solving problems that you can see and touch and seeing the tangible results of our work firsthand.
Have you encountered or witness gender inequality throughout your career? What was your reaction? How would you react today?
Mancino: There have been many times in my career when I’ve been treated differently, or seen other women treated differently—from board rooms to construction sites. I’ve always done my best to address this behavior professionally and continue to focus on the job at hand. Ultimately, the goal is to remain unwavering in our goals and intended outcomes and continue to shine bright no matter what.
It’s always important to have someone to act as a sounding board because it can feel isolating, and lonely, and there can be a lot of second-guessing yourself. It’s a fine balance and learned behavior to know when to speak up, escalate or simply ignore microaggressions or direct biases. It’s also important to remember to be an ally and step in when you witness others experiencing the same thing.
READ ALSO: Diversity and Inclusion in Real Estate
Which remain the biggest challenges for women’s professional advancement in your industry?
Mancino: Women can often be underrepresented generally, especially in leadership roles within construction and STEM. There is a bias around women on construction sites and, historically, males have dominated engineering fields. I believe this has kept women from deliberately pursuing careers in those areas, and those who have pursued careers have been kept from growth or not seen as equals.
There is more awareness than ever. I am seeing a whole generation of women training in these fields in school and other deliberate programs, and the wave of diverse emerging professionals is coming.
What advice would you give to female professionals interested in pursuing a career in the green building and energy efficiency sector?
Mancino: The gratification of working in the green building and energy efficiency sector is unmatched, especially for a mission-driven person who cares about how their work fits into the bigger picture of making the world a better place. It is also constantly evolving, and there are still many uphill battles. We are building the plane as we are flying it, so to speak.
This is the case for everyone, but also being a woman in construction adds more complexity. Remember that we are used to adversity, challenges, adaptation, persistence and problem-solving. These attributes can make women some of the best practitioners in an ever-changing but extremely exciting field.
Get out there. Join organizations and groups for your field and women specifically. Share lessons learned, ask questions and think about how your actions fit into the bigger picture.
Most importantly, I remind women to lift each other. There are already enough challenges stacked against us—let’s not be stacked against one another! Together, we can drive change and create more opportunities for women in the industry.
