Learn from our excelling employees during Women's History Month 2023
For Women’s History Month 2023 we wanted to spotlight a handful of the women excelling in their fields at WGM Group.
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Montana Section ITE Young Professional Award winner Danae Giannetti joined WGM in 2020 after working with the Montana Department of Transportation for five years. With her outgoing nature, positive attitude, and enthusiasm for data-driven results, she has excelled as a mentor in our transportation engineering department.
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Staff Engineer Madeleine Porter started at WGM in 2021 immediately following graduation from Montana State University-Bozeman. She’s transitioned effortlessly into an integral part of our Kalispell office, happily taking on civil design and drafting tasks as well as DEQ submittal project work. Not one to sit still for long, Maddie is also active with the Kalispell Downtown Association and the local Rails to Trails Association in the Flathead Valley.
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Planning department leader Jamie Erbacher has a strong background in the land use planning industry, with 16-plus years of experience working within various cities and counties. Before joining WGM she worked for the City/County Planning office in Missoula, and then later the Missoula County Planning Office after those offices split. In her past three years with WGM, she’s taken over as lead planning consultant for our firm.
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Kristine McMahon, one of just a handful of women Professional Land Surveyors in Montana, leads our Kalispell surveying crew. She uses her nearly 20 years of field work experience when she treks throughout northwestern Montana year-round to do boundary, topographic, design, subdivision plat, ALTA/NSPS, floodplain, and construction surveys.
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Cindy Kuns has been instrumental in WGM’s success during her tenure. Cindy came to WGM as the company’s first project assistant in 2006, developing that role to be an integral part in serving our clients. Over her 17 years at WGM, she’s unleashed her skills in numerous departments and recently launched the project coordinator position. She’s a trusted advisor to her colleagues in all disciplines across the company.
We asked each of them the same questions. Read on to learn about their career influences, barriers, motivations, and advice.
Who is the most influential woman you know?
Danae Giannetti (DG): My mom shattered the glass ceiling more than once as a stockbroker in the 1970s and then became an entrepreneur in the 1990s. Now in her mid-70s, she still works at her shop and stays engaged in her community. She taught me that the secret sauce to success is having a strong work ethic and good sense of humor.
Madeleine Porter (MP): My mom. She is the most hard-working and selfless person I have ever met. She taught me how to be dedicated to work, family, and the community. She has basically had two full-time jobs my entire life. While I was growing up, she was a stay-at-home mom to five children, but she didn’t stay at home much due to her extensive volunteer work. When my siblings and I grew up, she transitioned back to the professional world while maintaining an impressive volunteer resume. She knows the meaning of a hard day’s work and sets an amazing example to anyone who she meets.
Jamie Erbacher (JE): Definitely my mom. She worked for the Missoula City/County planning office for over 40 years. It is because of her that I chose my career path as a land use planner. She is retired and takes care of my grandmother as well as her uncle, aging friends of my grandmother’s, her four granddaughters, my dad before he passed, 11 goats, three chickens, two ducks, and whatever and whoever else needs a little bit of extra love and care. We joke that she should have been a life coach as her advice is always sound and spot on. While taking care of the above-mentioned, she is always willing to lend a hand on the latest home improvement project that my brother or I dream up. She truly is a hard-working woman who deserves recognition for all her care and generosity.
Kristine McMahon (KM): I have been blessed to work with and know many inspirational and supportive women. From college friends, clients, fellow surveyors here in Montana, and of course my mom. They have all influenced me through their friendship, advice, and encouragement. Whether they are professionals or stay-at-home moms, their strengths and life lessons shared with me along the way have been formative!
Cindy Kuns (CK): Can I have two? My mom is a force and has been the biggest influence in my life. She taught me to be dedicated, honest, and hard working. Her constant message growing up was that I could do anything I put my mind to, be anything I wanted. Because of her, I didn’t see a glass ceiling and have had the confidence and wherewithal to try new things and push myself to set higher and higher goals. When I went away to college, I met my second biggest influence, Debbie Harvey. She was a professor, and later the President, at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. In the extremely male-dominated world of professional flying, Ms. Harvey was the sole female professor in my flight school curriculum. She was an inspiration from the start, providing not only career guidance but confirmation that a woman could excel in the field.
Have you faced barriers in your field, and if so, how did you overcome them?
DG: Early on, it was intimidating going to a meeting or job site without anyone there that looked like me. This led to the barrier of self-doubt. While I still struggle with it at times, I was able to reduce its effects by adopting the mantra of “do my best, don’t stress the rest.” I also give credit to my family and friends for keeping me encouraged!
MP: Being a new engineer comes with its challenges, mine was confidence. While I still struggle with this from time to time, I have learned to trust my instincts and ask for help when I need it. Learning how to navigate the engineering world can be intimidating but when you’re willing to learn, take on new challenges, and try your best there’s nothing you can’t do!
JE: Land planning can be challenging, especially when balancing client goals, community goals, and regulations. You must have patience and listen to each party involved. I have found that open communication with community leaders, regulators, and our clients will generally lead to a solution that works for all.
KM: Mostly no, perhaps only slightly when I first started in the field and there was the unspoken question of “could she keep up?” Once I was able to demonstrate that I was physically and mentally up for the job, that all went away. Plus, I’ve never put up with too much sass, so not much was given!
CK: Honestly, the only real barriers I have faced have been self-inflicted – me doubting my place. From my early flying days in college through to my time at WGM, I seem to always find myself in places where men outnumber women. While part of me enjoys the challenge of proving that women belong in these arenas, I confess that doubt has been a struggle at times. When in doubt, I tend to take on more and harder tasks in an effort to confirm that I can. There’s something about an even bigger challenge that allows me to rise to it. I also rely on the support of my husband a lot. He knows aphorisms don’t do it for me, so he points me to the facts about my performance and the feedback I get from my colleagues to get me past the uncertainty.
What motivates you?
DG: One of the greatest motivators for me is making someone else’s life a little easier. This varies from helping my team deliver a project under a tight deadline to designing facilities that provide a safe route for families to walk or bike to school together. I want to leave the world a better place than when I entered it and I do that by helping people.
MP: I am motivated to help people and learn as much as I can. I believe what we do as engineers at WGM Group is very important to helping communities grow and improve in Montana. I’m proud to say I’m on this team. The people of WGM Group care about the communities we live in and each other. I have been given an amazing opportunity to learn from great engineers who care about me and wish to see me succeed. I hope to pass this mindset and my knowledge on to new engineers and give them the same opportunities that were granted to me.
JE: I am motivated by our next generation. As our communities grow, we need to remember that what we do now will influence the next 100-plus years. The valuable resources we have within our communities need to be protected and growth must be planned strategically to ensure that our kids and our kids’ kids have a safe, clean, and attainable place to call home.
KM: A complex survey boundary resolution! I love research and digging into where that original surveyor walked, and following that up with going out in the field to search for the monuments they set or found
CK: Helping remove or reduce obstacles so that others can succeed is all the motivation I need! I’m content to work quietly in the background to gain a victory, whether for a single person or the whole WGM team. One victory at a time, that’s what I’m all about.
What advice do you have for women who want to excel in their field?
DG: Find a good support group (i.e., professional societies or volunteer organizations), do something often that is hard or scary (I suggest improv!), and be the type of team member that you would want to work with.
MP: Have confidence and take every opportunity you can to learn something new. Life is too short to dwell on things you can’t control. Instead, try to look for new ways to solve a problem and look at the mistakes you make as a chance to learn and better yourself.
JE: Communities are not planned overnight. Be involved, take interest and participate in the places you live and work. This knowledge will allow you to make informed recommendations to your clients, colleagues, and community leaders. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Your innovative idea may lead to something great.
KM: Really know your work. Humble confidence in your own ability is key. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a mentor for help or advice on tough jobs or decisions. Always keep an open mind to learning more than you know today, because I assure you there is plenty more to learn. Be firm and compassionate in your convictions.
CK: Have confidence in yourself, be open to new things, acknowledge your mistakes, and try to avoid carrying a chip on your shoulder. I think if you go into a situation where you feel like it’s you against them, you won’t get anywhere fast. If you respect others and make yourself a valued part of the team, you have a good shot at being respected and appreciated in return.
How do you influence your colleagues around you and the wider business?
DG: When speaking with a colleague, I will give them my undivided attention and prioritize being present for them. I think showing up for someone is an act of kindness I can do on a regular basis that influences others by demonstrating that I care about what they have to say. Being present influences our wider business by allowing me to notice details that I may miss otherwise if I am distracted.
MP: I strive to be a good communicator. I feel effective communication allows me to develop great relationships with my coworkers, support our team, and represent WGM Group. I enjoy networking and making connections that allow me to get better involved in my community.
JE: You must build trust and lead by example. This comes with being an active listener, asking questions, and respecting others. When others feel that you are dependable, you become a reliable presence that others will strive to achieve as well.
KM: I am always striving to produce thorough and accurate surveys that benefit the client as well as the engineers, landscape architects, drafters and all the others at WGM Group who are next in line to work with the data my team puts together. I really enjoy teaching and mentoring two up and coming surveyors, Colter Bull and Clint Evenson. From a community standpoint, I try to stay actively involved in my state professional organization, MARLS, which keeps me up to date on surveying issues around Montana as well as any legislation in the works that may or may not benefit the profession.
CK: I try to remain accessible to everyone across the company. I want to hear from anyone and everyone about the challenges they face to see if I can make their lives just a little bit better. I work hard at developing trust with everyone around me so that I can be a resource for them. Whether I lend an ear for someone to vent in confidence or serve as the mouthpiece for someone who doesn’t feel comfortable speaking up, I want everyone to feel heard and valued. I’m told I’m a good listener and a good teacher, so I do my best to employ those skills with everyone from our newest recruit to our CEOs to help keep our WGM team strong.