In Her Boots: Lena Dremonas

It's Women's History Month. This month - and every month - we're inspired by the talented women who shape our company, industry, and communities. Our "In Her Boots" series is designed to showcase and provide a look at what life looks like in the shoes (or boots) of some of the talented women at Clark. 

Often it is a chance encounter that sets people on a path to pursue their passion.  For Lena Dremonas, this encounter came when she was a summer associate with Clark.  In the midst of earning her mechanical engineering degree at the University of Pennsylvania, Lena spent her summer on a construction site in Washington, DC, shadowing an engineer who managed MEP systems. She was hooked.

From there, Lena set her sights on becoming a systems manager. She loved the challenge of constructing building systems that work harmoniously and efficiently together.  With this passion as her guide, Lena charted her own career track, positioning herself to become a subject matter expert in systems instead of following the “traditional” construction management career path in project management or field supervision.

Lena’s first project was a core and shell office building in downtown Washington, DC, after which she added A. James Clark Hall, a complex bioengineering laboratory at the University of Maryland, and ECB2, an operations facility in Fort Meade, Maryland to her portfolio. After six years in the Mid-Atlantic region, Lena moved to Los Angeles to support Clark’s operations on the West Coast.

As a senior systems manager in Southern California, Lena’s systems expertise is critical to every stage of construction, from business development to preconstruction, delivery, and commissioning. 

“I've been able to change the way we [Clark] think about the startup and commissioning process,” she explains. “There is a moment on every job when project teams have to shift from a bottom-up construction sequence to systems commissioning that does not always function in a bottom-up manner. I love helping project teams figure out when to shift to a systems startup approach.”

In 2020, Lena founded the Systems Steering Committee at Clark and now serves as its chair. The group aims to create standardized methods for tracking production, testing, and commissioning. The group also educates Clark team members about systems, standards, and codes related to MEP trades.

In the community, Lena serves as co-chair of Education and Outreach for Southern California Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (SoCal DIBs), where she hosts a video podcast. The effort is designed to create a sense of inclusion and belonging among diverse employee groups through education, awareness, and self-reflection.

After eight years in the industry, Lena is now focused on helping others to follow the path she charted. Her proudest moments are mentoring other young women at Clark to pursue their interests and reach their maximum potential.