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For more than 15 years, Todd Duwe has championed diversity in the workplace and has advocated for COBID companies to win in the construction industry. As an executive leader, he brings ideas and initiatives that not only help make a business better but make people better. He understands societal inequalities, leads inclusively, and consistently makes diversity, equity and inclusion part of the conversation internally and externally.

As part of the Port of Portland鈥檚 Mentor-Prot茅g茅 Program, Duwe mentored Alcantar & Associates, a MBE, WBE and COBID-certified general contractor. President Marcela Alcantar said the program and Duwe helped restructure her company from professional services to a construction company, essentially starting a new company.

Alcantar noted that the program was not just technical, but also helped her embrace her Indigenous background as a Huachichilt-Wiraxika woman. It and Duwe inspired her to start a nonprofit called TaYeiyari Te Pa鈥� YeXeiyari, which works to form stronger Indigenous Mesoamerican communities鈥� partnerships for business development, sharing of culture, spirituality and maternal languages.

Duwe is an active participant in the National Association of Minority Contractors of Oregon鈥檚 Safe from Hate Contractor Coalition and is an advisor and instructor with NAMC University.

鈥淭odd works behind the scenes because he鈥檚 trying to do the work in the way he can do it best,鈥� said Nate McCoy, NAMC-Oregon鈥檚 executive director. 鈥淎ll of those things matter to NAMC, and me personally, when we talk about intentionality and relationship building.鈥�

As a board member of the Beaverton School District Construction CTE Advisory Board, Duwe encourages students to turn their passions into paychecks and their dreams into careers. The most recent program is designed to expand construction career technical education by creating a new Construction Tech Program at Merlo Station High School. This program will be a magnet specifically for reaching underserved students.