Binkley & Barfield | DCCM is pleased to announce the promotion of our first female Managing Director, Kellee Castro.
Kellee joined Binkley & Barfield | DCCM in 2010 as a temporary front desk receptionist. Little did she know that her brief time answering the phones would lead her to the leadership position she is in today.
Youssef Laham, PE, Executive Vice President, recruited Kellee in November 2010 as the Utilities Group’s Administrative Assistant. For more than 3 years, there was not a task that Kellee couldn’t tackle, from booking travel to preparing construction documents and marking up plan sets. In 2014, Binkley & Barfield | DCCM won a contract for CenterPoint Energy that required extreme manpower. Kellee was eager to try something new, and Youssef needed a hardworking Distribution Designer to join the Overhead Distribution group due to the increasing workload.
“It was a challenge but one that I am really glad to have been given the opportunity to try,” said Kellee. “I enjoyed that every project presented its own obstacles that needed to be overcome. I used to say it was like a puzzle I needed to solve.”
Not long after becoming a Distribution Designer, Kellee was promoted to Lead Designer of the Overhead Distribution group, assisting management in reviewing projects, training new hires, and designing projects. During her tenure as Lead Designer, Kellee familiarized herself with everything regarding overhead distribution standards. She took this knowledge and streamlined the department’s training materials and techniques—many of which are still used today.
Proving her management skills, Kellee has jumped her way to Managing Director of the CenterPoint Energy Overhead Distribution group. She really enjoyed designing (and still misses it), but now she gets to review new projects, create LOEs, communicate with various CenterPoint Energy departments, manage her team of 16, recruit new team members, and become more involved in strategic planning and annual projections. Her success has expanded throughout the department, allowing her to promote two Project Managers to follow in her professional footsteps.
“Kellee’s ambition, hard work, strong work ethic, and always going above and beyond made it an easy decision to promote her through the years,” said Youssef. “She has the passion and talent to step into such an important role and has proven herself time and time again. To be able to start as a temporary receptionist and work your way to the first female Managing Director just shows that the opportunities at Binkley & Barfield | DCCM are endless.”
“I am very grateful for the trust the company has shown in my abilities and the opportunities they have given me to grow,” said Kellee. “I look forward to the challenges in taking this next step in my career!”
We are looking forward to seeing what the future brings for Kellee. We know it will be nothing but great things.