Construction professional brings broad-based experience to Kitchell’s Southern California office

Industry veteran Cecilia Kucharski recently joined Kitchell Contractor’s Southern California office as a Regional Executive to oversee San Diego operations, bringing more than 23 years of experience in a wide range of markets.

“Finding executives with the depth and diversity of experience that Cecilia has is rare, and we feel very fortunate to have her join our team,” said Kitchell Southern California Region Vice President Mike Wolfe.

Kucharski’s background encompasses operations, preconstruction, strategic planning and business development. She has been involved with many projects in the public and private sector in the San Diego market, including large tenant improvement projects, major parking structures, healthcare, retail, student housing and office buildings.

Kitchell has a widespread impact in the San Diego market with divisions specializing in development, construction and construction/project management. The company’s local contracting portfolio includes project work for San Diego State University and UC San Diego. Kitchell built the 509,500-square-foot UC San Diego Jacobs Medical Center, for which it recently won an American Society of Healthcare Executives (ASHE) Vista Award for best new construction.

Prior to joining Kitchell, Kucharski was an executive with Balfour Beatty’s California region, overseeing preconstruction, estimating and design management staffs among five Southern California offices. She also served in a leadership position for Webcor Builders in San Francisco and San Diego, and was a project manager with DPR Construction. She obtained her degree in Construction Engineering and Management from Purdue University, where she continues to volunteer with the Purdue Women in Construction Mentoring Program.

Kucharski is a certified LEED® AP and DBIA Professional and serves on numerous boards including the ACE Mentor San Diego and Urban Land Institute San Diego/Tijuana, and was previously a board member with the Downtown San Diego Partnership. She was named one of San Diego’s Business Women of the Year by the San Diego Business Journal, and was honored by the YWCA “In the Company of Women” tribute with a Mentor Award.