At Matthews | DCCM, we’re proud to recognize the women on our team who bring skill, perspective, and drive to every challenge they take on. In honor of International Women in Engineering Day, we asked a few of them to share their stories—the experiences that led them to engineering, the projects that have meant the most to them, and what they enjoy most about their work today.

Brynna Bartlett, EI

Project Engineer

Brynna joined the team as an intern in 2021 while completing her degree at UNF before coming on board full-time. Her proudest moment so far? Seeing her very first engineered project make it all the way through permitting and into construction.

“Borland Groover is one project I am proud of because it was my first project to get permitted and built as an engineer, and the site had quite a few challenges to overcome. So when it finally made it to construction, I was so excited! Also, with an initial interest in a medical field with my Biology background, it was fun to have the first project I worked on be a medical building.”

When asked what she enjoys most about working at Matthews | DCCM, her answer came easily:

“I love the culture! Everybody here is always so willing to help! I also enjoy the wide variety of design work we get to do here.”

Brooke Lawrence

Project Engineer

Brooke joined the land development team at Matthews | DCCM in 2022. Her journey into engineering began in high school, sparked by the encouragement of teachers—especially one trailblazing woman who helped her see the possibilities in a male-dominated field.

“There were a couple of teachers in high school that inspired me to pursue a career in engineering. One in particular was a woman who was a retired materials engineer, and among a very small percentage of female engineers at the time. She would always point out the different skill sets that women bring to the field and how exciting and fulfilling her career was to her.”

One of Brooke’s earliest assignments has become one of her proudest accomplishments:

“World Commerce Center Industrial is one project I am proud of. This was one of my very first projects to work on and it was definitely intimidating at the time it was assigned to me, as it is a fairly large site. There were many new skills I learned by working on this site, both in design development and with issues that arose in the construction phase of the project. Getting the permits for this one felt like a huge accomplishment, and even with the challenges and complications that came with it, I am proud to have been a part of it.”

Keri Matthews

Corporate Advancement Specialist

Keri has been a part of the company since the very beginning and has played a vital role in shaping both the culture and trajectory of Matthews | DCCM. From navigating economic uncertainty to helping define the firm’s voice, she has been instrumental in guiding the company’s growth and resilience over the years.

Her path to engineering took a few unexpected turns—but ultimately led to a career she never saw coming.

“I was an English undecided major at Clemson University for 3 years, because I had no idea what I wanted to do. When my advisor told me I needed to declare a major after being in college for 3 years, I went and talked to various department heads to learn about various career paths.

I met with the Industrial Engineering department head who, to my surprise, made engineering sound fun! This was the last thing I expected after touring my dad’s plant as a teenager (he was a Mechanical Engineer), and thinking engineering was very dull and boring.

The Industrial Engineer Dept. Head explained that Industrial Engineering was a more human factors engineering that included things like determining optimal schedules and routes for pilots, designing processes and offices for increased efficiency and accuracy, and designing things like software and cars to be more ergonomic and user-friendly. This excited me, and so I became an Industrial Engineer.

When I called to tell my dad I decided to be an engineer, he was shocked, as this was the last thing he ever expected me to major in!”

Keri’s most meaningful “project” wasn’t a single job—it was keeping the company afloat during the Great Recession.

“The project I am most proud of is avoiding bankruptcy and surviving the economic downturn that started at the end of 2008 and lasted for several years. Matthews Design Group had only been open for a few years, grown quickly to 20 people, and accrued a lot of start-up debt. We were 100% private work at the time. When the economic crash hit, work dried up fast at the beginning of 2009.

We held on as long as we could before having to let most of our staff go, which was really hard. We could not pay our bills, the banks were coming after us and threatening to sell the paint off our walls, we used up our savings, maxed out our HELOC, and did not take a paycheck for years just to keep the doors open. We were talking to a lawyer about filing bankruptcy. Times were beyond stressful to say the least—all while having a 2½-year-old and newborn baby at the start of it.

We knew we had to diversify our client base from just private clients, so we went after the SJC Continuing Services Contract. It was a team effort between myself, Rob, and my dad (who also worked for us at the time). My prior English major background was very helpful, as I helped to write the content and design the layout and pictures of the RFQ, along with helping to create marketing materials and our website.

We were so blessed to be selected for the SJC Continuing Services contract! That—and God—is what saved us! This was a turning point for us where we started to go after and win more continuing services contracts. It took several years before we started growing again from the ashes, but we emerged wiser, stronger, more innovative, and with a much different perspective, business sense, and streamlined operational approach going forward.”

There was no doubt about what she enjoys most about our company.

“This is easy—the people! We have nice people who work hard, get along, help each other, and care about doing their best. I love the people and culture. I love the camaraderie and teamwork and how everyone works together for a common goal. I love seeing people grow with our firm. I have seen some start with us in their teens, then go to college, get married, and have kids. Our people truly make this an enjoyable and great place to work!”

Lauren Castillo

Co-op Student

Lauren is currently part of our Co-op program and entering her third year at the University of North Florida, where she’s studying Civil Engineering. She’s been with Matthews | DCCM for a year and is gaining real-world experience while advancing through her degree.

Lauren’s passion for engineering was sparked early on:

“I felt inspired to become an engineer from an incredible teacher in the engineering academy at Creekside High School.”

Now, as she balances work and school, she’s especially grateful for the mentorship and hands-on learning opportunities she’s found here:

“I love being a part of Matthews | DCCM because as I progress through school, I am supported and taught practical ways to apply my background knowledge.”