A Blueprint for Equity, a podcast powered by SSOE Group, is dedicated to exploring challenges, uncovering opportunities, and celebrating successes surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and related industries.
Come along with us on our DEI journey as we bring together a collection of thought leaders, educators, subject matter experts, and technical professionals to discuss key issues and approaches to constructing a more inclusive AEC community.
Each episode will explore the challenges and opportunities facing the AEC industry as we strive to create more equitable and inclusive environments—from job sites to conference rooms. Our guests will share their perspectives on key issues and help us understand how we can advance DEI practices in and around our industry. Listen here or download wherever you get your podcasts.
LATEST EPISODE! Season 2: Episode 4 ‒ Designing More Than Structures, Engineering Stronger Communities
In the Season 2 launch of A Blueprint for Equity, host Candice Harrison welcomes J’Reyesha Brannon, PE, Civil / Environmental Engineer and Project Manager based in Portland, Oregon, for a conversation that expands how we think about engineering’s role in shaping communities.
With more than a decade of experience in design, project management, and construction management, much of it in the public sector, J’Reyesha brings a powerful blend of technical expertise, civic leadership, and community advocacy to her work. A graduate of the University of Portland’s civil engineering program, she approaches the built environment through a lens grounded in environmental justice, equity, and long‑term community impact.
Beyond her professional practice, J’Reyesha is an active leader in NSBE Portland, where she supports community building, mentorship, and expanded access to STEM pathways for Black engineers and students across the region. She also serves in a variety of leadership and advisory roles with nonprofit organizations and government bodies, contributing her skills in grant writing, communications outreach, and program development to help advance meaningful change.
In this episode, J’Reyesha reframes structural integrity as more than a technical requirement, connecting it to the resilience of communities, cultural context, and the systems that shape how people experience the built environment. Together, Candice and J’Reyesha explore how engineering principles can be applied with intention to foster inclusion, strengthen equity, and create spaces where people truly thrive.
This conversation invites listeners to consider how the structures we design—and the values we bring to that work—can help build stronger, more connected communities.
Blueprint Clip: J’Reyesha Brannon on the Weight of Being “the Only One”
Blueprint Clip: J’Reyesha Brannon on on the Impact of Measuring Gallons Per Minute
Blueprint Clip: J’Reyesha Brannon on the Equity Gap Hidden in our Infrastructure
Blueprint Clip: J’Reyesha Brannon on Representation Signaling Possibility
Season 1: Episode 3 ‒ Amplifying LGBTQIA+ Voices in Design
In our latest quarterly episode of A Blueprint for Equity (our third to date), host Candice Harrison talks with Sarah Nelson-Woynicz, AIA, Project Architect and Associate at HKS, Inc.—an architecture and interior design firm—and Founder of Pride by Design.
A seamless blend of personal and professional, this conversation explores Sarah’s dedication to the inclusion and visibility of LGBTQIA+ architects and design professionals. She shares her experience growing up in Raleigh, going to college in Virginia, and landing in Atlanta where she’s built a very successful career in the AEC industry.
Today, she feels empowered in her day job where she has the space and safety to outwardly embrace her identity as a lesbian and is supported by her colleagues. Through the years, she admits she’s been met with some resistance along the way but has now found a place to thrive and aims to help others do the same.
Season 1: Episode 2 ‒ Constructing a Culture of Racial Equity
In our latest quarterly episode of A Blueprint for Equity (our second to date), host Candice Harrison sits down with Dr. Melvin Gravely, CEO of TriVersity Construction and author of Dear White Friend—a must-read book about the realities of race, the power of relationships, and the path to equity.
Mel and Candice discuss equity versus equality, race relations, and some of the ways his Cincinnati-based commercial construction firm has diversity built right into its brand (right down to the name and right up to the top).
They also explore the power of empathy, intentionality, and getting the AEC workforce to look more like the world in which we live. Spoiler Alert: We also announce an exciting giveaway, so be sure to tune in! And, you can download Mel’s free Dear White Friend Discussion Guide that he references in this episode here.
Season 1: Episode 1 ‒ Cultivating a Climate of Diversity in Higher Ed
In our inaugural episode, host Candice Harrison has the exciting opportunity to speak with three DEI leaders from three different universities residing in three different regions of the U.S. It feels fitting to begin our first episode by focusing on the education system because we know that, as a society, if we’re going to be successful in building a diverse workforce, we have to start at the societal level to increase diversity and equity in our communities and our educational systems.
In this episode, we welcome…
Dr. Lesley Berhan, Associate Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement and Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Toledo College of Engineering in Ohio.
Dr. Ece Erdogmus, Professor and Chair at the School of Building Construction at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
Dr. Shaz Vijlee, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Portland Shiley School of Engineering in Oregon.
All three guests will discuss what they’re doing at their own respective organizations to increase access and underrepresentation in the fields from which we draw our talent.
Introducing: A Blueprint for Equity, a podcast powered by SSOE Group
Host of A Blueprint for Equity Candice Harrison introduces the podcast and outlines its purpose in this promotional trailer. Candice shares her background prior to joining SSOE as the firm’s first-ever Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
In 2020, the pandemic hit and kept us all at home and in front of our TVs. As incidents of violence against humanity and national unrest were increasing, so was the need for companies to begin to explore how they could do better. That’s where Candice’s transition to DEI began. Today, she helps our organization understand where we are as a company and rethink messaging to better connect with and relate to diverse audiences.
In this promotional trailer, Candice explains how DEI at SSOE is a continuous journey—not a destination or box to check. As we look forward to a workforce that reflects the populations we serve, we’re moving from an “initiative” mindset to a culture where DEI is already built in.
Candice Harrison joined SSOE Group in 2022 as the firm’s first Director of DEI, leading initiatives to create a more inclusive workplace at the internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm. In 2025, her role expanded to Director of Inclusion & Community Impact, adding corporate responsibility to her leadership. Another first for SSOE, this position reflects the firm’s commitment to philanthropy and volunteerism, with Candice driving a comprehensive strategy while continuing to champion DEI across the organization.
Reporting directly to the CEO, she’s led the implementation of SSOE’s DEI vision, helps develop compelling and inclusive messaging, and creates aspirational goals, plans for change, and an ongoing in-depth assessment of our DEI initiatives. She continues to implement actionable strategies across all of SSOE’s business processes—including talent management and acquisition, performance management, procurement, leadership development, and more.
In her hometown of Toledo, Ohio, where SSOE has been headquartered for 77 years, Candice made a name for herself in various communications leadership positions at the city’s public school district and nationally acclaimed zoo. She’s built valuable relationships across the community thanks to her involvement in organizations like the local African American Leadership Council of United Way, Rotary Club, Diversity Equity Access and Inclusion Alliance, and others.
Candice holds a Master of Arts in Communication and Leadership from Spring Arbor University, and a Bachelor of Art in Communication and Public Relations from the University of Toledo. She was the 2014 recipient of Leadership Toledo’s 20 under 40 Leadership Award and Top Community Voices Award, 2023 recipient of the Community Service Award from the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs Maumee Bay Chapter, and, recently announced as an honoree of the YWCA of Northwest Ohio’s Milestones: A Tribute to Women award in the category of volunteerism—all of these a testament to her passion for creating meaningful impact both inside and outside the workplace.
Since 2016, Candice has been a member of The Links Toledo Chapter, an invitation-only volunteer service organization committed to enriching, sustaining, and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other people of African ancestry. She has also been a member of Delta Sigma Theta—a historically African American sorority founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community—since 2018.
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