Tina ShonkLittle
Tina Shonk-Little is a Program Coordinator at the National Institute for Construction Excellence (NICE) and a certified heavy equipment operator whose journey in construction spans more than 30 years. Introduced to the industry as a child by her father, she developed an early love for the trades that evolved into a lifelong career. After facing significant personal challenges, including incarceration, Tina rebuilt her path through determination and resilience, entering the International Union of Operating Engineers apprenticeship program and graduating as a journey-level operator. Her hands-on experience includes operating a wide range of heavy equipment, and her success in the field reflects both her technical skill and unwavering perseverance.
Following the loss of her mother and a desire to be more present for her family, Tina transitioned from fieldwork into workforce development and education. In her role at NICE, she leverages her real-world experience to mentor and inspire the next generation of construction professionals. She leads outreach efforts across elementary, middle, and high schools, providing hands-on learning experiences, speaking engagements, and direct mentorship. Tina is especially passionate about reaching underserved and inner-city youth, showing them that viable, rewarding career paths exist outside of traditional four-year college routes. By sharing her own story and even tangible proof—like her apprenticeship earnings—she helps students see what is possible through skilled trades and registered apprenticeship programs.
Tina’s work is driven by purpose and impact. She is committed to breaking down barriers, advocating for mental health, and fostering a culture of safety, inclusion, and self-advocacy within the construction industry. While she acknowledges the challenge of not being able to reach every student before they graduate, she finds fulfillment in the lives she does impact—especially when young people return to share how her guidance helped shape their future. A devoted wife and mother of four, Tina brings the same energy, authenticity, and passion to her family life as she does to her work, living each day with intention and a mission to make a lasting difference.
• Certified Heavy Equipment Operator - International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) 2021
• Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts
• International Union of Operating Engineers Apprenticeship
Journey Worker, Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation
• International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE)
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to grit and not being afraid to fail. Failure is my specialty - every day I'm like, 'I wonder what I can mess up today.' I've cheated death five times in the last 20 years, from trying to die by suicide by cartel before prison to having a severe allergic reaction last Thanksgiving where they had to give me two epinephrine shots. From those experiences, I learned that our window here is so short, so we've got to do what we can, when we can. I have a very short amount of time to leave my kids with not only a felony record, but something that they can be proud of, saying 'my mom built that legacy,' or 'my mom helped me do this,' or they could drive downtown and say 'my mom built that in her tower crane.' I just want something more than a felony record is what I want to leave my kids. I tell my kids, you've got to be better than the person you were yesterday. And when you lay your head down at night, if you have questions or regrets about anything that happened that day as you take inventory, you need to fix it the next day and be better. That's how it runs in my head.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to protect your mental health above all else and at all costs. And it is so true. Once I realized the gravity of that one little sentence, it was profound and amazing. You don't have your mental health, you don't have anything. I've learned through my life experiences that I've got to protect my mental health at all costs, so I will turn around and walk away when I need to.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Set the precedent as soon as you get there. Own your space. If you don't walk in like you deserve to be there and that you own whatever you're doing within that radius, this industry will eat you alive. Don't take any shit. Don't join the good ol' boys club when they start bantering people. Be that one person that stands up, and it will trickle down and follow. And just keep showing up. We're trying to change the climate on job sites, one incoming senior class at a time, with people who are not going to stand for the bullying, the harassment, the gender-based violence. I hope in maybe five years it'll be a more inclusive and understanding construction industry on job sites.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is the feeling of not being able to reach everybody that we want to before they graduate. The wanting to be everywhere all at once, but can only pick one. When I first started, I felt like it was an injustice to myself, and I really took it to heart that these kids are still going out, not going to college, getting pregnant or going to jail because that's all they know. I thought, if I could have just got there, maybe I could have educated them on all the options that they have. Our schools still don't push registered apprenticeship programs - they just say college, college, college. We're trying to tackle that one school district and school at a time, but their turnover's so high. You talk to one counselor one week, and then they're gone and they don't tell anybody else.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important values to me are: don't quit - your miracle is just around the corner, and if you quit, you'll never know. And no regrets. I've learned that our window here is so short, so we've got to do what we can when we can. I tell my kids, you've got to be better than the person you were yesterday. And when you lay your head down at night, if you have questions or regrets about anything that happened that day as you take inventory, you need to fix it the next day and be better.