Friday, October 21 

Please Purchase Conference Tickets Here

DPR Construction is striving to be one of the most admired companies by 2030. To do so the company has taken a hard look at the impacts made in sustainability, diversity and inclusion, supplier diversity, community initiatives. As a pathway to become a social just and equitable organization, DPR paired with the San Diego Living Future Collaborative to review how the JUST label could be applied to DPR’s operations. This unique collaboration propelled DPR forward to audit their internal processes, adjust in areas specific around social justice, and earn the JUST label using the v2.0 program. Achieved in March 2022, DPR is the largest organization to earn a JUST label. 

This presentation will explore the process of earning a JUST label for a construction company with over 7500 employees. The DPR team will explore how the process came about with support from the San Diego Living Future Collaborative, the steps required to align with the rating system, and the challenges and opportunities in utilizing a transparency platform around social justice and equality within the Construction space. Attendees will learn about where social inequities exist in Construction, how the company adjusted its organizational practices to align with the indicators and levels of performance in JUST v2.0, and some of the learned lessons of going through the JUST labeling process.

Speakers: 

Cari Williams

Global Social Responsibility Leader

DPR Construction

Cari Williams joined DPR in 1994 as the San Diego region’s 10th employee. Following successful roles as a project manager, a member of San Diego’s leadership team, and People Practices, Cari transitioned her focus to Social Responsibility in 2019. Cari’s strong skills allow DPR to integrate and leverage diversity and inclusion (people), supplier diversity (partners) sustainability (planet) and community initiatives (philanthropy) to work towards the company’s mission of being one of the most admired companies by 2030. A graduate of University of Southern California, Cari holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering.

Marissa Tyer

Global Social Responsibility Coordinator

DPR Construction

Marissa Tyer has 10 years of experience in operations for DPR Construction. Marissa began her career working onsite with project teams, then transitioned to recruiting and on-boarding for the San Diego business unit. In 2020 Marissa joined the Global Social Responsibility group and works with DPR leadership to implement sustainability (planet), philanthropy (community initiatives), diversity, equity and inclusion (people), and supplier diversity (partners). 

John Ambert, RA, LEED Fellow, LFA, GPRO

Sustainability SME

DPR Construction

John Ambert is a licensed Architect and Green Building Expert with DPR Construction.  Since 2006, John has worked to integrate sustainability solutions for more than 90 of the highest performance residential, commercial, mixed-use, office, higher education, health care, and corporate projects in the US. With a deep background in high-performance materials, healthy indoor environments, and low carbon design, John works to implement sustainable construction approaches to minimize the environmental impact of the construction process.  John served as a Board Member San Diego Green Building Council and as a Facilitator for the San Diego Living Future Collaborative from 2016-2021 where he supported DPR construction in exploring the JUST label before joining their organization.  A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, John holds a Bachelors of Architect with a focus in Sustainable Environments.