Kaitlyn Henninger
Kaitlyn Henninger is a marketing and public relations professional with more than 10 years of experience leading strategic communications, business development initiatives, and high-impact storytelling within the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. Currently serving as Senior Marketing Coordinator at Clark Construction Company, she specializes in proposal strategy, executive messaging, social media management, visual communication, and community-focused campaigns. Known for her strengths in AP-style writing, branding, and relationship-driven communication, Kaitlyn helps technical teams translate complex ideas into meaningful narratives that build trust and connect with diverse audiences across Michigan.
Kaitlyn’s career journey reflects resilience, adaptability, and a deep commitment to growth. She began her professional path at Neumann/Smith Architecture in an administrative role while simultaneously pursuing a degree in public relations at Wayne State University. After several years as Office Manager, she transitioned into marketing through the mentorship and advocacy of company leaders who recognized her potential for strategic communication and creative leadership. During her time in the AEC industry, she developed expertise in marketing strategy, proposal development, and stakeholder communications while learning to navigate and thrive in highly technical, fast-paced environments. Her ability to listen carefully, communicate strategically, and lead with confidence became foundational to her professional success.
Following a career pause during the COVID-19 pandemic to focus on raising her young children, Kaitlyn returned to complete her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with honors in Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication from Wayne State University, graduating in 2024. Shortly after, she joined Clark Construction Company in a full-circle career moment, combining her passion for storytelling, leadership, and community engagement. Much of her work now focuses on K-12 bond campaigns, public sector initiatives, and construction pursuits that require thoughtful communication and public trust. Through strategic messaging, video storytelling, and collaborative leadership, Kaitlyn continues to shape impactful narratives that help communities better understand and connect with the projects transforming their environments.
• Wayne State University
• Oakland Community College
• Graduated with honors from Wayne State University in 2024
• National Honor Society for Communications at Wayne State University
• Clark Construction Living Our Values Award (team award)
• SMPS (Society for Marketing and Professional Services)
• Southeast Michigan chapter
• Former board member as Marketing and Communications Chair (2017-2018)
• Lambda Pi Eta
• Society for Marketing Professional Services
• Clark Construction Living Our Values Committee member
• American Cancer Association breast cancer walk participant
• Greening of Detroit supporter
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the mentorship and advocacy I received early in my career. The two women in the marketing department at Newman Smith Architecture recognized potential in me before I fully recognized it in myself and advocated for me to transition from office manager into marketing after four years. That opportunity completely changed my professional path and taught me the lasting impact that mentorship and advocacy can have on someone's career, which I now try to pay forward. I also attribute my success to my time at Newman Smith, where I learned how to find my voice in rooms filled with highly educated experts in this male-dominated industry, many of them men with decades of technical experience. That environment challenged me in the best way possible and taught me how to listen carefully, prepare thoroughly, and communicate strategically, building confidence through knowledge and consistency. Additionally, I'm incredibly proud of completing my degree with honors in 2024 while raising my two children during my five-and-a-half-year career break. That accomplishment represented perseverance, discipline, and proving to myself that I could finish this long-lasting goal. My children were able to attend the ceremony and get really excited with me, which made it even more meaningful. Not finishing school and working in such a highly educated field was always something I was intimidated about and quite frankly embarrassed about, but I've completely turned that narrative around, especially after finishing so strongly. Now I work with an incredible team at Clark Construction, and my boss, my director of marketing, consistently finds new ways for me to explore leadership opportunities and promotes me, which has been wonderful.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
You can have a successful career in a male dominated field with hard work and dedication and also its never too late to go back to school and finish a degree that you started.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I want other women to know not to be afraid to hold back, even when they don't feel necessarily ready on their own right. A lot of opportunities come from simply being willing to speak up and contribute and stay consistent. If you have a similar story with delayed education and feel intimidated about that, know that it's possible to turn that narrative around. I didn't finish school traditionally and worked in a highly educated field, which was always something I was intimidated about and quite frankly embarrassed about. But I've completely turned that narrative around, especially after finishing so strongly with my degree. There's value in finding your voice even in rooms filled with highly educated experts in male-dominated industries. That environment can challenge you in the best way possible and teach you how to listen carefully, prepare thoroughly, and communicate strategically, building confidence through knowledge and consistency.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In my work, I love my involvement in charity work through Clark Construction's Living Our Values Committee, where I help plan charitable events for our Southeast Michigan teams. We participate in events like the American Cancer Association breast cancer walk and work with organizations like the Greening of Detroit, which helps restore the tree canopy in urban areas in the city of Detroit. I'm passionate about work that directly impacts communities, especially K-12 bond campaigns and public sector initiatives where communication and community trust are incredibly important to me. I love helping develop messaging and materials that explain complex projects in a way that's transparent, relatable, and meaningful to the communities they impact. There's nothing I love more than influencing projects that improve communities. In my personal life, family time is most important to me. I spend my time with my family and children, and our weekends are pretty jam-packed with keeping up with their schedules as they're involved in a lot of extracurricular activities. We do a lot of traveling as a family and outdoor activities like hikes, just spending the day outdoors together. I love the time I have with them, and that five-and-a-half-year break I took to raise them while completing my degree was incredibly meaningful. Having my children attend my graduation ceremony in 2024 and seeing them get excited with me was one of the moments I'm most proud of.