Rick Hermanson

Rick discovered his interest in the construction industry at an early age when he would work summers as a "clean-up kid" in the sheet metal shops where his dad, UW Construction Hall of Fame member Jerry Hermanson, was an executive. After graduating high school, he worked in the shipyards refurbishing battleships, working on the Polar Sea and Polar Star Icebreakers, and then on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline before eventually starting his sheet metal apprenticeship at a competitor. When his dad started Hermanson Corporation in 1979, Rick asked if he could come to work for him, where he found his passion in special projects and quick-hitting Design/Build work.

At Hermanson Corporation, Rick worked his way through project management and sales and eventually stepped into the role of President in 1998. In 2000, Rick and a small group of partners bought Hermanson Corporation from his father, renaming it Hermanson Company.

In 2019, he transitioned into the CEO role, focusing on identifying opportunities and preparing the company for future growth. Rick's holistic understanding and first-hand experience in how the industry works on all levels and his natural enthusiasm and leadership abilities have been integral in turning Hermanson into a comprehensive mechanical construction, engineering, and service firm.

Honoring his father's legacy, Rick passionately advances mechanical construction workforce development and helped copilot the first Heavy Metal Summer Experience camps in 2021, introducing high school students to career opportunities in the trades.

Diane Kocer

Diane Kocer’s passion for the construction industry derives from her belief that education should be applicable and result in meaningful and rewarding career opportunities for all. Her innovation and commitment to elevating the industry is exemplary and marks her as a pacesetter for not only the local construction community but across the state as well.

While she is known and respected for her leadership and relationship building, what sets her apart is her progressive and strategic approach to building inclusive and impactful programs. Diane has envisioned and brought to life an outstanding number of programs. Her ability to do this, repeatedly, has advanced the industry. These programmatic successes are demonstrated in the professional successes of its participants, and their history of ‘giving back’.  This is Diane’s underlying talent; to help people realize and meet their potential.

Diane, a Seattle native, serves as the Executive Director for the AGC of Washington Education Foundation. She manages multi-faceted programs that promote and develop construction careers through education and training. She oversees an industry-respected continuing education program, offering over three hundred courses annually with a focus in leadership development for all construction career levels.

With over 30 years of project management experience, she creates effective initiatives that link careers in the construction industry with the state’s school system and organizations. One such program is Core Plus Construction, a nationally recognized and state-wide approved program of study. Core Plus Construction allows Washington high school students to earn their third-year math, science and English language arts credits while studying construction. The students graduate with applicable skills that can lead directly to employment and successful pathways to advanced education.

She is commended for the advancement of the Foundation’s fundraising initiatives, namely, the endowment program which funds annual scholarships for 2- and 4-year construction programs. One-third of these scholarships are awarded to the University of Washington students. Under Diane’s leadership, newly established named endowments have doubled, which directly impacts students’ and their abilities to fund college. In addition to her work at the Foundation, Diane serves on boards and in volunteer leadership roles, all primarily focused on providing equitable education for all. Diane demonstrates a lasting commitment to helping underserved communities find support and opportunities in the construction industry.

Darlene Septelka

Darlene has been an influential figure in the construction industry for over five decades, leaving an impact locally, nationally, and internationally. She began her career in 1972 as an apprentice draftsperson at Stone and Webster in Boston. As Darlene progressed up the ladder, she broke the norms of the time by taking on leadership roles and managing all-male teams during the construction of the Seabrook Nuclear Station and as the resident engineering manager of the pipe support department at WPPSS Satsop Nuclear Station in the 70s and 80s. During her career, Darlene has managed projects worth over $2 billion, including international ventures with a developer in Vietnam and The Boeing Company. For Boeing, Darlene wrote, negotiated, and managed over 30 design and construction contracts for projects in over 15 countries.

One of Darlene's notable achievements was leading the construction of a sizeable private aviation project in China, where she served as Boeing's on-site International Senior Project Manager. She established and ran the company's construction office, implemented bilingual project management systems, and supervised a team of 27 consultants with her boots on the ground for three years in China. She was a recognized leader within the construction industry in China and spoke at various events in China on construction leadership and safety improvement. In 2019, Darlene was awarded the prestigious Boeing Chairmen's Safety Champion Award for her dedication to ensuring compliance with environmental, health, safety, and labor standards on her project in China.

For the last 24 years, Darlene has been a champion of collaboration and using alternative delivery methods within the industry. In recognition of her years of leadership in promoting design-build best practices, Darlene was inducted into the Design-Build Institute of America's College of Fellows in 2023. Darlene served for 12 years on the DBIA's National Education Committee. Since 1998, Darlene has been an approved DBIA speaker, teaching DBIA certification courses nationwide and a national speaker at over 80 events.

At the local level, Darlene was one of the founders of the DBIA Northwest chapter, serving as the charter VP in 2002 and again from 2005 to 2009. Darlene conducted data research for the WA State Capital Projects Advisory Review Board, contributing to construction legislative changes in Washington State. She was appointed to serve on the WA State Project Review Committee in 2007 and remained a member for six years.

Darlene's industry education contribution included teaching in the UW Construction Management Department as an adjunct instructor for nine years while working full-time. She was an Executive Board Member of the Construction Industry Advisory Council for ten years. She served on the Advisory Board of the UW Construction Management Certificate Program for six years.

After retiring from Boeing in 2020, Darlene joined the University of Washington as a full-time assistant teaching professor and continues to teach our future construction leaders best practices. In December 2022, Darlene was the first recipient of  the CM Department’s Professional Faculty Fellowship Award; in 2023, she received an Excellence in Teaching Award. 

Darlene holds an AAS from Blue Hills Technical Institute and a BS and MS in Construction Management from the UW.