Sessions of 2024 Summer Conference: Cassie Mejia

Mejia, Cassie

Director
Arizona Masonry Council

The Mejia family has been in the masonry industry for four generations. As such, Cassie has been volunteering at and participating in events promoting the industry for over twenty years. Most of this was within events that promoted masonry to the architectural community and celebrated the workforce. The appreciation for the projects and people of the local industry I pulled Cassie into a career in masonry. She started out working in our family business and spent eight years contributing to the construction of many notable masonry projects. Her contributions ranged from stocking CMU to project management. During her time in contracting, Cassie became involved with the MCAA, specifically serving on the south40 committee and contributing to the workforce development efforts. In her current role as program director for the Arizona Masonry Council, Cassie is responsible for the development, deployment, and management of all of our training programs and recruitment efforts. Her initial focus was building on the success of the existing contractor training programs and high school outreach efforts. Through those efforts, she has developed strong relationships with the state department of education, various local colleges, and universities, as well as the National Center for Construction Education & Research. Cassie participates in multiple career and technical education advisory councils locally. She also serves on committees at the local and national level including within the NCMA, Arizona Association for Economic Development, National Masonry Instructors Association, Arizona Department of Education, AMC Technical Committee, and most recently Skills USA Board of Directors. Cassie's involvement with the industry has given her a deep appreciation for the built environment and the unique way that concrete masonry systems contribute to it. She experienced firsthand what it takes to build and I know what needs to be done to ensure a workforce capable of continuing the task. It is common to see organizations focus heavily on initiatives, systems, and processes. However, the most fulfilling achievements in Cassie's career and industry involvement have not been the programs themselves, but the individuals and families she has helped.