Flying head-first into her dreams, meet Laura J. Holthus
Laura Holthus is currently the Project Manager for Ricondo’s Advanced Planning on-call services for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Ever since she was a kid, she has loved aviation. She attended the Metropolitan State University of Denver on a volleyball scholarship and took advantage of one of the few specialty Aviation Management degree programs in the US. As part of the program, she earned her private pilot’s license with instrument rating during school and worked at Centennial Airport during summer breaks. She got her official start in Centennial Airport’s full-time internship program. While there, she discovered more opportunities in the industry and joined a sizeable A/E firm doing aviation planning and project management. In addition to her college volleyball teammates, Laura attributes much of her success to three women. Her first role model is her mother, who owned a business and set a fantastic example of being a working woman with a successful family life. Her second role model is her college volleyball coach, who pushed her beyond what she thought she was capable of physically and mentally. Laura’s third role model is her boss from her internship, who inspired her with her quiet yet powerful leadership style and became her mentor. Laura believes there is power in numbers: the more women there are in the architectural field, the more women will be attracted to the industry. She also believes in early exposure to the sector through STEAM education, exposure to the industry, and positive role models. Laura continues to set the standard daily by working hard, being a team player, and always remaining true to herself.
Tell us a little bit about what you currently do.
I’m currently serving as the Project Manager for Ricondo’s Advanced Planning on-call services for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Technical services have included project needs mapping with the Port of Seattle, ground transportation access planning, garage utilization and feasibility analyses, terminal modeling and expansion studies, Main Terminal optimization planning, new Terminal 2 concept development, and alternatives analysis, and ground transportation facility planning.
What drew you to this industry and how did you get where you are?
I’ve always had a love of aviation – airports, and airplanes – that started when I was a kid. Centennial Airport’s flight pattern followed the main road to my house in the Denver suburbs, so I often saw small planes flying overhead training, thinking maybe I could do that one day. It’s a rather long story, but I eventually made my way to the Metropolitan State University of Denver on a volleyball scholarship, where they also have one of the few specialty Aviation Management degree programs. I earned my private pilot’s license with instrument rating during school (it was part of my degree program) and I worked at Centennial Airport during summer breaks. I then got my official start in Centennial Airport’s full-time internship program. While there, I discovered more opportunities in the industry and joined a large A/E firm doing aviation planning and project management.
Did you have any women or mentors in general that helped you achieve success?
Many. My mother owned her own business and was my first idol as a kid. I didn’t know it at the time but watching her juggle life successfully, being talented in her work while also raising children and maintaining a family “life”, is incredibly inspiring to look back on. After that, I was fortunate to have two more key women mentors in my life, 1) my college volleyball coach who instilled work ethic, integrity, and determination, and made me believe in myself more than I ever had before; she pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of both physically and mentally, and 2) my boss during my internship. Her quiet, steady, productive, and lead-by-example leadership style left an impression on me which I still draw on today. I would also say many of the amazing college student-athletes / teammates I was fortunate to have also had contributing roles to my success. (Which, by the way, I would say is still a work in progress!)
How do you view female leadership in this industry?
I feel it’s improving, but it really depends on where you are in the country and world. We have a big deficit to climb out of, and the only way to have more female leadership is to have more females in the industry! I think the more women there are, the more the industry will attract (“women beget women”), so we’re on the right path.
What opportunities are there to cultivate future women leaders in Architecture/Aviation?
Continue to encourage women to take on more challenges, continue to support women in their career goals; acknowledge that it is possible to work in this industry while also having a family if that’s what one desires.
Do you feel there have been difficulties in getting where you are today as a woman?
At times it was challenging, but generally speaking, I have always felt rewarded for hard work and haven’t felt like being a woman created any particular barriers. Sadly, if anything, while I don’t believe being a woman changed my opportunities, it did seem to have lowered expectations at times as to what I would be capable of. This has always pressed me to work even harder and ironically has helped me excel, I think.
How can we work to break down those barriers?
I think the barriers get broken down by sheer numbers – again, more in the industry would make being a woman in the industry not “a thing” at all, and this is where I think we ultimately want to be.
How can we help promote women in architecture and attract more women to the profession to bridge the gender gap?
Starting early with STEAM education, and more exposure to the industry. We need to be positive role models for the younger generation, leading by example, working hard while balancing life with work, being true to ourselves, and taking a hard look at hiring practices. Ensuring gender biases are not playing a role in hiring is important.
““I think the more women in the industry there are, the more the industry will attract.””
Author Bio
Florencia Bialet
Co-Founder and CEO of Illustrate My Design (IMD).
Featured Guest
Laura J. Holthus
Project Manager at Ricondo & Associates. Advanced Planning on-call services for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.