Blog

Tell us about yourself!
Hi! I am Megan Haddad. I live in Monmouth County, New Jersey. I went to Quinnipiac University, where I was a part of their 3+1 accelerated dual-degree program and a sister of Gamma Phi Beta. During my Undergraduate years, I majored in International Business, with a minor in legal studies and received a certificate in Global Supply Chain Management, graduating in 2021. In 2022, I graduated with my Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Innovation and Market Disruption.

Currently, I am the NY Marketing Lead and Proposal Coordinator at Shen Milsom & Wilke (SM&W). We are a consulting firm specializing in acoustics, audiovisual, information technology, medical equipment planning, and security. I manage and oversee all of our proposals, as well as handle all of our international pursuits and assist in various marketing collateral initiatives at the corporate level. 

How did you get involved in the AEC industry?
I started as an Intern at SM&W in 2020 with the Marketing team. I worked directly under our Marketing Director where I learned the ins and outs of the industry and marketing from the corporate side. I had a wonderful experience and was invited back the following year, and ultimately to join full-time in July 2022. I joined as a Marketing and Proposal Coordinator, where I assisted in the proposal process and various general marketing tasks. I continued to raise my hand and have had the opportunity to do many exciting projects. I am completely self-taught in the Adobe Suite, but I practiced enough where I was able to assist in shooting and editing our firm-wide headshot rehaul. I was promoted this year to New York Marketing Lead, where I now oversee and manage our proposal flow, as well as continue to work on exciting projects. At the moment I am working on a complete redesign and revamp of our intranet in addition to a handful of other projects!

As a new member of SMPS, how did you learn about the organization, and what impacted your decision to join?
I joined SMPS in July 2022, when I first started working at SM&W. Colleagues of mine were members and pushed me to join as well. However, I didn’t utilize my membership fully until this year! I would attend an event here and there, but I made a push this year to start to get more involved, by attending events regularly and expressing interest in joining a committee. I researched the many committees that SMPS has available and ultimately decided to volunteer to join the Special Events committee.

How does your experience working at SM&W (Shen Milsom & Wilke) tie in to what you are hoping to achieve by volunteering as part of the Special Events committee? What motivated you to seek out involvement with Special Events?
I found that there were a handful of committees that sounded interesting to be a part of, however I was drawn to the Special Events committee. I have always had an interest in planning events and have been a part of planning a few events at SM&W. We have our 40th anniversary coming up in 2026 and I will be playing a big role in planning the year’s events! Although I had interest, I have little experience with planning and executing events. I knew that by joining the Special Events committee I would make meaningful connections with others in the AEC industry, but I would also gain experience planning events! The other members of the committee have so much experience in the industry and in planning events and have already become great mentors and resources for me. I have already learned so much about successful execution of large events and I am excited to continue to learn.

Besides your involvement in Special Events, what else are you hoping to get out of your SMPS membership?
By getting more involved with SMPS-NY, I look forward to meeting others in the AEC industry and making meaningful connections. It has been so wonderful meeting people face-to-face that I have been communicating with professionally for years! 

What are some of your interests and hobbies outside of work? 
I have one puppy and am an amateur potter! I love movies, specifically The Goonies, any classic movie from the 80s, or anything Marvel, and I listen to almost every genre of music! I am an avid traveler; I love to immerse myself in different cultures. I have been to a handful of countries already and hope to have visited every state and continent in my lifetime! I am currently trying to teach myself German, which is going as well as you might expect it!

What kinds of events are you looking forward to attending/planning in the coming year? 
I love to attend the webinars SMPS-NY hosts that feature speakers and educate viewers on trends and new strategies in the industry. I have learned and grown so much from attending them and I definitely look forward to attending more throughout the year. I am most excited for the SMPS-NY New Year Party though! It will be the first event I have the pleasure of helping plan fully with the Special Events committee, so I am very excited to watch the event come together and enjoy the party with my fellow members. 

Register for the SMPS-NY New Year Party TODAY!