Fortis Construction names first female board member amid expansion
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Fortis Construction has appointed Michele Leiva and Briston Blair to its Board of Directors in a move the company describes as aligned with its strategic growth objectives. The appointments were announced on November 21 2025, with the company citing the pair’s broad industry experience and complementary skill sets as instrumental for guiding Fortis as it expands footprint and operations.
Michele Leiva brings decades of construction‑industry leadership to Fortis
Leiva is a seasoned executive with more than 40 years in the construction sector, including key roles at firms such as Rudolph & Sletten and DPR Construction, where she served as Chief Financial Officer before her retirement. In joining Fortis she becomes the company’s first female board member — a milestone that Fortis’s leadership highlighted as part of its commitment to diversity and inclusion. Leiva said she was impressed by Fortis’s culture and the company’s values, and she expressed anticipation about helping shape its financial strategy and long‑term growth.
Briston Blair adds technology and operational insight
Blair currently serves as Senior Vice President of Innovation & Strategy at Comfort Systems USA (NYSE: FIX), a major provider of mechanical, electrical, and modular systems. His more than two decades of experience in operations, engineering services, and technology-driven transformation bring a different dimension to Fortis’s leadership, one rooted in innovation and scalable processes. His appointment reflects Fortis’s ambition to blend traditional construction know‑how with modern operational and technological competencies.
Why the new board matters for Fortis’s strategy
Fortis emphasises that the new appointments align with its broader trajectory of growth, regional expansion and delivery of complex projects, including data centers, science‑tech facilities, commercial, healthcare, and education markets. The firm employs more than 600 people across its operations and maintains offices in Oregon and Utah.
By diversifying its board’s expertise — combining financial experience, long‑term sector insight, and operational and technological acumen — Fortis positions itself to meet both traditional construction challenges and the evolving demands of clients seeking advanced construction solutions. The leadership change underscores an industry‑wide trend where firms increasingly value diversity of skills on boards in order to navigate complexity and innovation.
The inclusion of Leiva as the first woman on the board also echoes growing pressure on construction companies and other historically male‑dominated sectors to adopt more inclusive governance structures. Diverse boards are increasingly recognised not just as a matter of fairness but as contributors to better decision‑making and long-term resilience.
What the appointments signal about industry trends
In recent years, governance experts and investors have called for more varied board composition across industries, combining industry veterans with individuals experienced in technology, operations, finance, and design. This shift reflects a recognition that modern construction, especially large‑scale, high‑complexity developments like data centers or research facilities, requires cross‑disciplinary oversight and strategic agility.
Companies that embrace such diversity in governance tend to be more adaptable and better equipped to respond to changing market dynamics. Boards that mix different backgrounds and perspectives, gender, industry domain, operations vs finance vs innovation, have been linked with improved performance, stakeholder trust, and long‑term sustainability.
By appointing two directors with strong but different track records, Fortis may be signalling its intention to evolve from traditional contracting models toward a future‑oriented approach to construction.
Sources