As an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, I am an advocate for my peers’ inclusivity at work. Standing by my colleagues’ and friends’ sides as they navigate the process of integrating their personal lives with their work lives is a very humbling experience as a cisgendered person, and over the years, I’ve learned secondhand just how much bravery and clarity it takes for someone to be themselves in the workplace. While this is true regardless of sexual orientation, it’s especially true for our peers that identify with LGBTQ+ community.
I believe that fully supporting and engaging with our peers is bolstered by education about the LGBTQ+ culture, and that stems from connecting with someone in the community. To learn more about the LGBTQ+ community within the AEC industry, I interviewed Tessa Phillips in the Timmons Group Washington, D.C. office for her insight.
Tessa is a project manager with over nine years of experience as a professional civil engineer and a demonstrated history of working in the civil engineering industry, specifically in private land development. She is technically skilled with industry experience in all stages of design and entitlements for multi-family, mixed-use, and commercial developments in multiple jurisdictions.
Prior to Timmons, Tessa studied at the University of Nebraska, the state where she was raised. She then worked in Dallas for several years before transferring her job to Washington, D.C. She has been with Timmons Group since 2021 and has grown into her role quickly at the firm.
Consulting primarily for private development clients, Tessa has had the opportunity to work with a variety of projects, including multi-family residential and retail programs like Rosie’s casinos, Publix grocery stores, and Sunbelt machinery franchises. “I’m a people person,” Tessa said. “The work itself is always interesting, but what I love most about what I do is working with my clients.”
Tessa’s team is a tight knit group — Our D.C. office supports about a dozen employees and Tessa is a team leader when it comes to employee engagement. She’s active both in the office and in her community with professional development and culture, including playing an active role in Q City, a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit group that was created on the premise of supporting LGBTQ+ individuals in the commercial real estate industry.
Tessa joined Q City in 2019. “It was a very grassroots effort at the time. I helped plan a few events and workshops, then Covid hit, and we were only able to meet virtually for a while, but we’re back in to in-person events now,” Tessa said. She’s the vice president for the organization and says it’s been a fulfilling experience to be part of its continued growth over the years.
“One conversation we have frequently is how to make the organization accessible. We want our programming to be equity-based, so we talk a lot about affordability and virtual versus in-person events,” Tessa said. “Something else we have considered is how we approach the LGBTQ+ community. ‘LGBTQIA’ is a lot of letters, then you add the plus. It can be a mouthful, so when we think about pronunciation and memorability, we want to make sure the way we communicate our goals is accessible too.”
The basic goal of the organization, Tessa says, is to advocate and provide support for members of the LGBTQ+ community within the commercial real estate industry through social, education, and professional development events. “That could mean brokers, engineers, contractors, developers, you name it. And being in D.C., we’re lucky to already have an outstanding concentration of LGBTQ+ individuals, so it’s just a really solid group of people with multiple layers of things in common.” The organization hosts a variety of industry-events, including a recent talk on LGBTQ+ senior housing in the Metro D.C. area.x
Tessa says the group’s dynamic is unique because it serves a variety of people within the community, including individuals who haven’t felt safe coming out in a professional space for most of their careers. “I’ve heard stories of people who had to lie about having a same sex partner for years at their job because they felt judged or unsafe, and that’s exactly the kind of discrimination we’re aiming to mitigate. It’s exhausting to not be your full self at work,” Tessa said. “Everyone deserves to feel safe in who they are, and with education we can help both sides of the conversation understand the bigger picture within our industry.”
While Q City welcomes individuals from all groups, as well as allies, something that Tessa says has always been at the heart of the organization is ensuring that its board is fully made up of individuals that identify as LGBTQ+. “The ‘A’ at the end of LGBTQIA technically stands for asexual, but a lot of us also use it for ally,” Tessa said. “We welcome everyone to join us for professional development and culture events. But in keeping with the roots of Q City, we only invite LGBTQ+ people to serve on the board so we can continue our commitment that the nonprofit is by and for queer people.”
In addition to her role at Q City, Tessa says her experience in the office at Timmons Group has been an encouraging one. “I’ve been supported by Timmons, and it’s great. The way the firm handles everything is very accepting and open. I take part in focus groups about inclusivity, and we have awesome conversations that lead to action.”
Tessa says her goal is to continue to educate people on LGBTQ+ culture, whether it be individuals who already identify with the community, are unsure about identifying with the community, and those who want to learn more. “I wanted to do this interview because I am forward facing at work. I pride myself in being open, and I know not everyone wants to be or feels like they can be, but I am comfortable with being out. So, I want to be a resource for my peers, both at Timmons and outside of the firm,” Tessa said. “I hope that by being out and comfortable in professional spaces, it will help open doors for others who would like to experience that as well.”
Tessa, her partner Amanda, and their cat BB and dog Nike
Interviews like Tessa’s help us continue the conversation surrounding all types of inclusion, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, age, neurodiversity, and those who identify as disabled, among others. If you’re interested in learning more about Timmons Group’s inclusion initiatives, navigate to this page.
Q City’s annual Pride Event is scheduled for June 21. It’s an in-person panel that will explore the topic of queer spaces in local D.C. nightlife events. For more information on the panel or to get connected with Q City for future events, give Tessa a shout at tessa.phillips@timmons.com.
