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Hatfield Group Hires Two Leading Women-in Engineering to Head Structural Teams

Hatfield Group Hires Two Leading Women-in Engineering to Head Structural Teams

New York, NY—Hatfield Group, the New York-based structural engineering firm founded by Erleen Hatfield, has hired Rebecca Jones, SE, PE, LEED AP BD+C as Principal and Cori Kwitkin, PE, LEED Green Associate as Associate Principal. Jones and Kwitkin will oversee and manage the design and delivery of innovative structural solutions for Hatfield Group’s institutional, mixed-use, stadium, and multi-family residential projects across the United States and worldwide.

“As two of engineering’s leading professionals, Rebecca and Cori will advance our mission to deliver design-driven structural solutions for some of the world’s most complex buildings,” says Erleen Hatfield, Managing Principal of Hatfield Group. “More, as two of the most widely recognized women in the AEC industry, Rebecca and Cori further our vision as an engineering firm founded by women, led by women, and committed to cultivating the talent women bring to the field.”

“Hatfield Group is among those leading the charge to break our profession’s glass ceiling and showing women in engineering that they can be industry leaders,” says Jones. “It is essential for young women to see firms like Hatfield Group, where we are celebrated and can advance our careers.”

Jones and Kwitkin have led some of the most high-profile design and engineering projects around the world. Jones previously served as Senior Associate at Thornton Tomasetti, where she oversaw projects including the 1.8-million-square-foot tower 10 Hudson Yards and Al Faisaliah, a 100-meter tall hotel and commercial building in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Kwitkin served as Associate Principal at Thornton Tomasetti, where she led award-winning projects, including the Physical Sciences Building at Cornell University and Seoul International Finance Center, a 5.4-million-square-foot mixed-use development.

Throughout their careers, Jones and Kwitkin have supported and mentored . In 2014, Jones co-founded The Knitting Club with Diana Zakem (now Director of Construction at Brookfield Properties), a professional networking and mentorship group for women in New York City’s architecture, engineering, construction, and real estate industries.

At Thornton Tomasetti, Jones created the National Women Advancement Committee of Women@Thornton Tomasetti (W@TT), a program that fosters the professional success, advancement, and visibility of women engineers. The committee established $8,000 in grants for women in engineering and co-developed the Mastermind Pilot program, a company-wide training initiative for women associates. Jones also started and chaired the W@TT Local Chapter in Seattle and has participated in AIANY’s Women in Architecture Committee and AIA Seattle’s Diversity Roundtable.

Kwitkin volunteered as a mentor for Women@TT during her time at the firm, working closely with an up-and-coming engineer to support her
professional development.

“Becoming a mentor has been extraordinarily rewarding,” says Kwitkin. “By fostering a supportive environment, the process allowed my mentee and I to openly discuss navigating the challenges of being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry—everything from advancing in our field to balancing work- and home-life.”

Rebecca Jones, SE, PE, LEED BD+C
Jones brings over 15 years of experience designing complex and high-performance structural systems for projects including supertall towers, comprehensive renovations, and buildings in seismically active zones. She previously served as Senior Project Manager at Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger and Senior Associate at Thornton Tomasetti. Notable projects of hers include 10 Hudson Yards, a 1.8-million-square-foot tower; Al Faisaliah, a 100-meter tall hotel and commercial tower in Riyadh; a 400,000-square-foot corporate complex in Beaverton, OR; the Hudson Yards masterplan; 11 Times Square; and the Ross School of Business at Michigan University Phases 1 and 2. She has also led projects for several public agencies, including the New York City Department of Design and Construction (NYC DDC), the City of New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY), and design-build projects for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ).

Jones holds a Masters of Science in Structural Engineering from Princeton University and a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University. She is a licensed structural engineer and professional engineer and a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction (LEED AP BD+C). She has taught Tall Building Design at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP) and served as a visiting assistant professor at Pratt University.

Jones has spoken at leading AEC conferences, including the American Society of Civil Engineer’s (ASCE) Structural Congress and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY). She is Director Emeritus of SEAoNY and co-founder of Knitting Club, a New York City construction industry professional association. Jones has also served on the AIA Seattle’s Diversity Roundtable, ASCE’s Structural Engineering Institute Sustainability National Committee and been a member of the Council on Tall Building and Urban Habitat’s (CTBUH) New York City, London, and Seattle chapters.

Cori Kwitkin, PE, LEED Green Associate
Kwitkin brings over 20 years of experience in structural analysis, design, and project management for buildings around the world, ranging from mixed-use towers and commercial buildings to healthcare and athletics facilities. She previously served as Associate Principal at Thornton Tomasetti, where she oversaw projects from concept through construction administration and optimized project delivery by coordinating across disciplines, including architecture, sustainability, geotechnical design, facade engineering, and vibration analysis.

Cori has led several notable projects, including the New Emergency Department at Huntington Hospital in New York; the Physical Sciences Building at Cornell University; and Seoul International Finance Center in Seoul, South Korea, a 5.4 million-square-foot mixed-use development including three Grade-A office towers and a five-star hotel. Other notable projects of hers include Socar Tower, a 190-meter tall mixed-use building in Baku, Azerbaijan; Hotel Crescent in Baku, Azerbaijan; the Advanced Surgical Pavilion at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York; and 30 Hudson Street, the Jersey
City headquarters of leading global investment firm Goldman Sachs.

Cori holds a Masters of Engineering in Structural Engineering from Cornell University and a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University. A recognized thought-leader, Cori served as a Peer Reviewer for the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s (CTBUH) Technical Guide Outrigger Design for High-Rise Buildings (First Edition), published in 2012.