Celebrating Women's History Month with Elizabeth Hancock

Growing up in Omaha as the daughter of an architect and a musician, Elizabeth Hancock‘s journey to a construction career was far from typical. 

Influenced by both parents, at various times she pursued both avenues with much success, including receiving degrees in architecture from the University of Nebraska. However, she eventually found herself drawn into the construction industry — first on the owner’s side as a project manager at a Nebraska healthcare system, then joining McCarthy in 2019 as an assistant project manager. 

She has been a Design Integration Manager in the Central Region since July 2023. 

When going through the McCarthy website preparing for her initial job interview, Elizabeth was immediately intrigued by the Partnership for Women. 

“When I read about that, I was impressed,” Elizabeth recalled. “I felt that McCarthy must really understand the value that women can bring to the industry. That had a significant impact on my decision to join McCarthy.” 

Having been around construction much of her adult life, she also recognized that women were heavily outnumbered on a jobsite. 

“I remember having a conversation with my mom when discussing the pros and cons of joining McCarthy,” Elizabeth said. “The fact we have this employee resource group in place because we know it’s important and make it priority … that really spoke to me. When I first became a PM, there were only three women PMs in Central. Now that number is higher, and I hope it only continues to grow.” 

Elizabeth also brought a strong, confident presence to McCarthy thanks to her extensive previous experience. If she had questions, she asked them. She got to know her team and made sure they got to know her — happily sharing knowledge while learning from others. 

“I knew there would be times I’d be the only woman in the room, but I try to make my voice heard if it needs to be heard,” she said. “You have to make sure that you’re bringing yourself to the table. You just can’t wait for it to come to you. You have to find your voice and make sure you’re doing your part earning the trust of your colleagues. As I transition roles, it’s something I continue to work on.” 

Now she actively works to recruit the next generation of McCarthy talent, educating them on the incredible employee-ownership culture she has experienced. 

“There’s a certain type of people who work here,” she said. “We’re concerned for others and are willing to go out of our way to help other people.” 

At a recent college career fair, Elizabeth told students exactly how that equation works, saying: “If you succeed, then I succeed. The success of the group depends on the success of each individual. I never really understood that until I came to work here, but the culture at McCarthy is what differentiates us from everyone else.” 

Omaha born and bred 

Elizabeth’s dad, Ed Leach, was an architect and structural engineer with the DLR Group. Among many healthcare, higher education and justice projects, he also designed and built a house for his family in a midtown Omaha neighborhood where many architects lived, known as The Treehouse. 

“I went to the office with my dad on Saturday mornings all the time, so I’ve been around architecture since I was little,” Elizabeth said, recalling the uniquely designed aspects of her childhood home like an elevated reading nook and expansive two-story living room with huge windows. “Our house had a loft my dad designed for his drafting table, and he taught me to use a scale when I was 8 or 9. 

“Drawing was something I enjoyed doing, but architecture wasn’t a career choice for me until much later. I’m very happy and proud not to have fallen far from the tree.” 

Originally planning to study medicine or international business, Elizabeth enrolled at St. Olaf in Minnesota, later transferring to Wisconsin-Eau Claire before doing some soul-searching, coming home to the University of Nebraska and changing her major to architecture. 

Having worked at DLR in high school, she gained exposure to drawing and design, as well as valuable field experience. That’s when her perspective began to shift. 

“When I told my dad that I wanted to major in architecture, he wasn’t surprised,” she said. “He told me he’d known for a long time I’d be good at it, but he wanted me to discover that for myself.” 

During her second year at Nebraska, Elizabeth encountered a health scare when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. 

“That was something that really had the potential to derail things,” Elizabeth said. “Fortunately, good relationships with the faculty helped me navigate that without getting off track from the studio schedule while going through my treatment. 

“It was definitely one of the hardest things I’ve navigated through, but I refused to give up.” 

She eventually earned Bachelor of Science in Design and Master of Architecture degrees at UNL, joining a group of six Nebraska alums in her family. 

Making the transition 

After graduation, Elizabeth worked at an architecture firm in Lincoln and Omaha for eight years. That was long enough to convince her that opportunities on the owner’s side as a healthcare construction project manager might be more to her liking. 

“It was one of my favorite jobs,” she said. “I loved being the voice of clinical staff; helping connect clinical staff and architects, contractors and all the critical players on multiple projects at once played to my strengths and I built great relationships within the health system. 

“I became a much more proactive thinker and learned to anticipate questions and problems before they escalated.” 

Through that work, Elizabeth met McCarthy’s Omaha leadership team and was approached about an assistant project manager position. 

“I was hesitant at first,” she said. “It seemed like a lot of unknowns and a very steep learning curve that would have me stepping out my comfort zone.” 

Instead, what she found at McCarthy was the most challenging role of her career — but also one that created growth, included support from leadership and pushed her to do even more.  “Kris Montgomery and Ryan Felton have been alongside me since day one, offering guidance and advice and helping me navigate difficult situations I encountered.” 

She soaked up a lot of knowledge on her first job, working alongside Superintendent Jason Sevener in the trailer on the OrthoNebraska Hospital Surgery Addition. 

“He taught me so much and I owe him a lot,” she said. “I definitely had a lot to learn in a short period of time, but I didn’t feel unsupported. I’m good at building relationships with people and have learned that sometimes that’s the easiest way to build trust with the client, the design team, my colleagues, and even trade partners. 

“I pushed myself to ask questions and learn from my mistakes. I believed I could do this and wasn’t going to fail. I know I still have a lot to learn.” 

Work-life balance 

Elizabeth and her husband, Chris, enjoy spending time outdoors with their sons, 12-year-old Owen and 9-year-old Colin. 

Just as her father did for her, Elizabeth makes sure to involve her sons in her McCarthy work. 

“My boys know and understand what I do —and I think they would say they’re proud of me,” she said. “I always like to bring them to a jobsite near the end, when it’s’ safe to do so, to show them what mom did. They have also grown up knowing that women can have roles in leadership and also in construction.” 

Her family has explored the country on multiple road trips. One of their favorites was Glacier National Park, where the boys fell in love with kayaking. 

“My favorite place in the whole world is Montana,” Elizabeth said. “Sometimes I just go by myself to clear my head and be off the grid. I love it. That’s where I’m going when I’m done working.” 

A talented pianist, Elizabeth has been active in music all her life. Although never a music major, she was on a piano performance scholarship in college and sang in choirs since childhood, meeting her future husband in the Nebraska Children’s Chorus. 

“Music was a big thing in my house growing up and my entire family is very musical,” said Elizabeth, whose mother, Kathy, was a grade school music teacher and church organist. “It balances the side of my brain that’s more creative with the analytical side.” 

For more Women's History Month content, check out McCarthy's Women in Construction Week spotlights.