Meet NEW Ambassador Council Member: Nelly Vasquez

NEW is proud to feature Nelly Vasquez, Construction Executive and Chief of Staff to the Chief People Officer at Turner Construction Company, and a long-time member of NEW’s Ambassador Council. She has more than 27 years of experience in the construction industry, ranging from construction operations, project leadership, and procurement, to business development, inclusion, and enterprise people strategy.

Nelly is a key player in the Council’s Career Growth Committee, which is dedicated to providing NEW students and graduates with professional development and access to employment opportunities. She said: “I support NEW because I know firsthand the power of opportunity. As a kid from Queens, raised by a single immigrant mom who worked hard to create opportunities for her daughters, this city and our industry gave me the chance to build a career and a life beyond what I thought possible. To me, NEW represents the very best of both. It opens doors for women to careers that provide economic independence, stability, and opportunity for generations.”

She also added: “NEW is a game changer, it’s a pathway out of poverty and into possibility. I’m honored to help hold that door open for the women coming next.”

Nelly began her career at Turner as a college intern while pursuing her degree in Construction Management at Pratt Institute. Over the course of her career, she progressed through increasingly senior roles in construction operations, ultimately serving as a Project Executive leading complex projects across commercial interiors, corporate headquarters, retail, hospitality, education, and landmark repositioning. Her project experience includes major assignments for Apple, American Express, Goldman Sachs, WNYC, National Heritage Academies, and other prominent organizations.

Nelly spent four years at Goldman Sachs, where she served as Vice President of Americas Real Estate Procurement, leading the team supporting the firm’s more than two-million-square-foot real estate portfolio across 36 offices and seven countries. She subsequently returned to Turner, where her career evolved from construction operations into business development, serving as Business Development Manager for the New York interiors market.

In 2024, Nelly became Turner’s Director of Inclusion, expanding her focus from the business and project level to the enterprise. In this role, she led the operational execution of companywide inclusion initiatives and worked across leadership development, succession planning, talent practices, analytics, and organizational programs. She partnered with leaders across Turner to translate enterprise priorities into actionable plans, establish measures of progress, and drive implementation across the company.

Today, as Chief of Staff to Turner’s Chief People Officer, Nelly works at the intersection of people, business, and strategy. She helps translate enterprise Employee Experience strategy into priorities and operating plans with measurable outcomes, while working across business and functional leadership to strengthen alignment and execution of the company’s people priorities.

Throughout her career, Nelly has been committed to creating pathways into the construction industry and expanding opportunity for women, young people, and underrepresented communities. In addition to serving as a member of NEW’s Ambassador Council, she is also a corporate advisor and partner to Youth Construct. She previously served on the Board of Directors of Rebuilding Together NYC and has held leadership roles with Turner’s Inclusion Action Committee and Cada Comunidad employee resource group.

 A proud Queens native who now resides in New Jersey, Nelly is the mother of two children and remains deeply connected to the communities that shaped her. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Pratt Institute and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Thank you, Nelly, for all that you do for NEW and our tradeswomen!