Patricia Stagno

"Women should be part of and engage with the network offered through participation in NAWIC. It is a communtiy of peers with like experiences, challenges and aspirations. You don't have to reinvent the wheel to make something work better."

Patricia (Patty) Stagno is the youngest of three girls, and since she had no brothers, her father decided he should pass along his knowledge to her. Thankfully, Patty has the aptitude for making and fixing things, which came in handy as a Hull Technician in the Navy. (She had planned to be a Health Technician, but that is another story.)

Her military service led to challenging her career path from being a radiology technician to a high voltage worker, starting in the underground vaults in Boston. As she advanced, Patty learned she enjoyed being a trainer and a leader. She moved to a management postion at a major utility before setting out on her own as a safety specialist. Through her business, Powerskills for Life, Patty traveled around the country providing safety audits and training for various companies. Her business took off when she joined NAWIC not only because of the connections she made but also because of the wealth of knowledge that women in the industry freely shared with each other.

In fact, it was though a NAWIC connections that Patty landed her dream job at Charter Contracting. Patty felt the company treated its employees well and strongly supported Women in Construction. She would have loved to continue working for them but had to retire for health reasons. Charter was very supportive throughout the whole process. Patty is now actively involved in Veterans Affairs and is learning how to enjoy retirement. She plans to continue to support NAWIC by "spreading the word" whenever she can and by attending events such as NH Construction Career Days.