The Women of Wold: Spotlight on Lynae Schoen

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we talked with several of our talented female leaders about their careers, sources of inspiration and much more

Women’s History Month is a time to intentionally shine a light on the incredible women who contribute to the success of our work and team at Wold Architects and Engineers, whether they are leading and mentoring colleagues or serving clients and delivering impactful results. This month, we are featuring women across the company who have made a difference in the lives of those around them. These women share personal stories about who has inspired them and how they strive to advocate for others.

In our fourth installment of the series, Education Leader and Associate Lynae Schoen shares the importance of surrounding yourself with colleagues and family members who support and believe in you. She also highlights the impact of mentorship and advocacy throughout her career.

Lynae has worked at Wold for 25 years and is on the company’s Board of Directors. Her Interior Architecture background provides a strong basis for developing educational long range plans, determining facility program space needs, and detailing educational specifications.

Is there a woman in your life who inspires you? If so, who is she and how has she made you better?

My mother has always been a major inspiration in my life. She had an amazing career as a nurse and a professor of pediatric nursing. She worked full time, advanced in her career and furthered her education all while raising a family. My sister and I had a great role model in her as she worked extremely hard to be very successful in many areas of her life with great dedication and grace.

Tell us about your current role and how you’re making an impact on other women around you.

A big part of our culture at Wold centers around developing the next generation of leadership. As an Associate and Board Member, I strive to lead by example. I had a mentor that invested her time and energy in me when I was younger, and she helped me learn, grow and stretch in my career. I believe in returning that investment by mentoring the amazing women we have at Wold that are in all different stages of their careers.

What do you believe is the biggest challenge (and thus, greatest opportunity) for women in the field, and how might you approach the solution?

One of the biggest challenges for women in the field of architecture is creating the right work/life flow for themselves. Starting a family in the early stages of a career can be very difficult, as a career and family can pull at you with equal forces and sometimes at the same time. I found the best solution is to surround yourself with colleagues and family members who support and believe in you. Believe in yourself, set boundaries and keep your focus on your life goals. You can never do everything at 100 percent all of the time. Priorities at home and in the office need to ebb and flow as you grow as a person and professional.

The opportunity in all of this is the ability to be a better contributor to your field of expertise as you bring so much more lived experience and perspective to your work everyday.

What can all companies/organizations do to create workplaces that support and advance the success of women?

As a female leader at Wold, I have been taught by my network and peers that advocacy is a responsibility as a woman in the workplace. Not only do we need to advocate for ourselves, but we must mentor and invest time in the next generation of female leadership.