Her Story
About Monica
Monica Contreras is a sustainability and climate professional specializing in decarbonization strategy, sustainable buildings, and commercial real estate. She currently serves as a Senior Project Manager at JLL on the climate and decarbonization team, helping clients develop strategies to reduce carbon emissions. Her previous experience includes work at Arup on their sustainable buildings team and with the Department of Energy in Australia. She holds a bachelor's degree in environmental management and sustainable development from the University of Queensland in Australia, along with certifications as a LEED Green Associate and Living Future Accreditation (LFA). She actively supports women in the green building industry through her leadership with the Women in Green San Diego chapter under USGBC, where she volunteers on the committee and hosts events. She is also involved with ULI's Sustainability and Urban Resilience Forum.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Monica
01What do you attribute your success to?
My upbringing with a very hard-working mom who is an educator and always seeks new learning opportunities. I've grown up to be a very driven person, and work ethic is very important to me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Never settle, whether in life or especially in jobs. If your job is not exciting you, or they're not paying you well enough, or they're not treating you well enough, you should never settle for that. There's always going to be something better out there.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Go network in person. People are so used to working digitally, but you never know who you're going to meet, and really making those connections in person could be the difference between getting a referral or finding a job that you wouldn't have known about otherwise. There is a high value in face-to-face networking these days.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The sustainability industry is in a tricky time with the current administration and regression of big companies. There's a lack of support for sustainability compared to 5 or 10 years ago. The job market is very hard, especially for sustainability, with many teams being laid off. I help others navigate that through events and help clients figure out what that looks like.
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