Women's History Month Profile: Jennifer Mateo, LEED AP

In the third installment of our Women's History Month series, we're featuring Senior Associate Jennifer Mateo in our Los Angeles office. Jennifer has been with Rottet Studio since its inception in 2008, but has worked with Principals Richard Riveire and Lauren Rottet since 2002. She cites a line of strong women in her family for providing her with the inspiration and motivation to launch her own career in design.Tell me about your path to a career in design and architecture.I count myself lucky that my parents had interest in traveling and sharing that with me and my sister.  Although the destinations were not always far flung or exotic, I was always intrigued when exploring new places and cities.  For me, examining the built environment and how it shaped or resulted from events or history is something that continues to interest me today and pointed me in the direction of this career.What are potential pinch points that affect talent retention in the design industry, particularly for women? Why do people leave?I believe that a lot of the issues regarding talent retention, specifically for women, are the residual effects of a culture that historically favors men.  Framing the discussion is important in that we cannot just look at talent retention in the workplace, but must also discuss the inequality we face at home or in other social environments. Whether it’s about child care, or domestic work, or career goals, these are all issues a woman may contend with in an adult working life. Until we treat them as important as we would a man’s day-to-day job or career, then we will continue to battle retention of female talent.How do you feel your experience working in a creative field might have been different if you were in a more corporate industry?I don’t believe my own attitude or mentality would necessarily have differed that much.  I am fortunate enough to have a mother to look up to who was a small business owner and aggressively made her way into her field as an entrepreneur.  I also have an aunt working in tech, which is dominated by males, who built her own career despite any hardships she faced as a woman.Now, growing my own career, it seems fitting that I am working with Rottet Studio, founded by none other than Lauren Rottet. The talent and determination of these women have inspired me to forge my own career path, even in economic environments that historically favor men.  They have been primary examples of how women fit into the world.What advice would you give to young women who are just beginning their careers?My advice to all is to be willing to take on the opportunities that present themselves, but also remember to follow your passions.  Your career path is abound with opportunities for you to be great, to contribute meaningfully and to make a difference.A recent study of 22,000 firms in 91 countries found a positive link between the number of women in leadership roles and a company’s profitability. What does diversity in leadership mean to you? What responsibilities do you think companies and individuals, both male and female, share in promoting gender equality in the workplace?I look forward to the day when we are not creating quotas to fill just to portray equality or demonstrate diversity. I hope for workplaces that can naturally do so; where we promote, collaborate and elect people without regarding culturally negative labels. If that means being more inclusive of women, then we should strive to do so, as the statistics show our value time and time again.As designers of the workplace, what can we do to foster productivity and creativity while addressing issues of work/life balance?Seldom is architecture a solo endeavor.  It takes a team to construct or realize a project.  If you engage with people that you can not only rely on but learn from, then you foster both productivity and creativity.  These same people would also understand your personal needs and respect that.  As the phrase states, it is a ‘balance.’  When there is imbalance, you will be hard pressed to find a person performing their best.Mentorship is crucial to professional success and longevity, but many studies have shown that women in the workplace are more reluctant to pay it forward and have a harder time finding mentors than men do. Do you think this dynamic holds true in the design industry, as well?Although I cannot necessarily relate to this concept personally, I can understand how this dynamic pervades our industry. Studies have already identified that, historically, women face more challenges and hardship when it comes to professional growth and success.  That could inform the concept that women are reluctant to pay it forward in that they want to eliminate competition, and not share the success with other women. And historically, women do not hold as many senior roles as men; and men may find it a threat when a woman is performing on par with him. This may hold true in any industry, but I think more and more women are challenging this behavior every day.