Trina Redwine

I got my start in this field through my grandfather, Otis Redwine, who started his own construction company in Denver, Colorado. I would visit him in the summers as a young kid and go to work with him. I was always good at drawing, but didn't know what profession would link construction and my love to draw. He told me, 'you're gonna be my architect,' and so I went to architecture school at Prairie View A&M University. After graduating, I found traditional architecture cool but felt bored. When I returned to my alma mater to speak to women in the architectural field, my dean asked how I liked architecture. I told her I was bored because I wanted to see what I was drawing and be in the field talking to contractors. She suggested project management or construction management, and I reminded her I started working with my grandfather in the field at age 12. I went on an interview with OmniPlan Architects in Dallas, and the owner, Mr. Key Cobbs, offered me a choice between a junior architect position or a junior project management position. I asked which one pays the most, and that's how I went into project management. Throughout my 30-year career, I've worked in both private and public sectors, eventually becoming the City of Houston's first female Senior Division Manager over major projects. I also returned to work at Prairie View in their campus planning department because I wanted to give back to the university that helped mold my career. Now I serve as a project manager with Harris County, overseeing the Forensic Institute of Science renovation.