August 30, 2021

On behalf of the Houston Business Journal Market President and Publisher Bob Charlet, Editor-in-Chief Giselle Rodriguez Greenwood, and FOS staff, we want to congratulate Catherine Tinkler, PMP, EBCP, LEED AP! Catherine has been selected as one of HBJ's 2021 Women Who Mean Business, and will be recognized at an awards luncheon in October.

This annual award celebrates women in leadership roles that have demonstrated excellence in their careers and community. HBJ recognized Catherine as an Outstanding Business Leader in Professional Services.

Since joining our firm in 2018, Catherine has brought workable solutions to each of our client’s facility challenges. She approaches each project with an understanding of best practices and finds ways to use her unique skillset to tailor each project to advance the institution’s goals and initiatives. Her project skills are complemented by her demonstrated leadership skills, as Catherine serves as FOS’s Director of Project Management.

“Catherine never settles,” according to FOS President Joe Cassata, “She is continuously learning and taking an active role in her community and industry organizations to keep her knowledge and skills up to date. Most recently, Catherine was introduced as the ASHRAE Houston chapter Vice President. Throughout her time with ASHRAE, Catherine has participated in various chapter positions including the Women in ASHRAE Co-Chair and Student Activities Co-Chair. She truly embodies the ASHRAE Houston mission of serving ‘the local air conditioning and refrigeration community, working to fill their overall needs with networking opportunities, educational resources, and industry certifications.’ In this new role, Catherine will be an integral part of the Houston Chapter Board of Governors, and I’m excited to see this experience translated to the benefit of our team.”

When asked what her biggest accomplishment was over the past year, Catherine replied “Successfully implementing and managing a project for Baltimore County Public Schools during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Facing rapid growth and decline, dynamic demographic shifts, crowded, aging buildings, widespread inequities, and a lack of public consensus on what priorities to act on first, the Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) enlisted FOS in March of 2020 to deliver a Multiyear Improvement Plan for All Schools (MYIPAS). This plan included both facility condition and educational equity assessments as well as capacity and utilization studies to inform a new districtwide master plan. Our comprehensive, data-driven strategy aimed to define operational reforms and capital projects in close partnership with its diverse communities. The MYIPAS study advances educational outcomes for students while optimizing existing facilities and planning for the construction of additions, renovations, and new schools.”

Catherine’s work with educational institutions across the country is impacting not only the physical environment where students/staff work and learn but also the equity equation. Districts continually face tough choices when managing and maintaining their facilities. With limited resources Districts need to learn to plan for repairs, replacements of engineered systems, and renovations – especially for components in the indoor environment quality that have a direct impact on these teaching and learning spaces.  Catherine says, “I have learned, and promote, that equal does not mean equitable when it comes to the space types, functions, and community spaces necessary to conduct programs inside of our school systems.  I’m part of a team of professionals that is leading the industry in collecting, analyzing, and benchmarking data that supports this equity conversation. We are looking for new metrics to support the decision-making process so that we become the best advocate for school children across the country.”

See the full list of honorees on the HBJ website.