Women’s History Month Partner Spotlight: Danika Shockley

Based in the Denver office, Danika has been with McCarthy for over 18 years. As part of a small and mighty team, she is actively involved in a variety of workstreams across the project lifecycle, from engaging in pursuits to executing and closing out projects. That breadth of experience traces back to her college years, when she was first introduced to construction as an unexpected career path.

Discovering Construction 

Danika started out as a math major at Colorado State University. However, that degree choice quickly changed once she began her first semester. 

“Construction was a lucky accident,” Danika said. “I went to college as a math major because that’s what I was good at in high school. My first college course was Calculus 3 and after one class, I knew I didn’t want to do math for the rest of my life. When I talked to my mom about wanting something different, she mentioned that a friend’s daughter worked in construction management. That conversation is what led me to explore the field.” 

Soon after, Danika pivoted and started pursuing a degree in construction management. In 2006, she interned for a joint venture partner of McCarthy and worked on the Children's Hospital Colorado project in Denver. Although she was not employed by McCarthy at the time, Danika loved interacting with the McCarthy team, which included at the time Project Director Scott Wittkop (later the COO who has since retired). She was curious about McCarthy job opportunities, but despite being offered a job, she felt it wasn’t the right time.  

“There weren’t any projects available in Colorado,” she said, “and I didn’t want to leave my family behind.” 

In her final year of school, Danika began looking for a job. Thinking fondly of her experience with McCarthy, she reached out to Scott, who said, “Are you ready to talk about working here?”  

That phone call eventually led to a full-time role to support the closeout of the Children’s Hospital project. Once that project was completed, Danika agreed to relocate and spent the next 12 years in Atlanta. 

The Early Years of Partnership for Women 

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Partnership for Women (PFW), an Inclusion Resource Group (IRG) that focuses on amplifying the voices of women in construction and creating community and connection for all partners. 

Danika reflected on what it was like to join construction as a woman back in the 2000s, a time when she felt there was a deeper, unspoken expectation that success meant conformity. 

“In those days, it felt like women needed to conceal what may be natural to them and their personality,” she said. “Wearing pink clothing or jewelry, for example, might draw too much attention to the fact that I was a female, so I would avoid it to remain understated and blend in.”  

In 2016, Danika was working on the Emory J-Wing Expansion project in Atlanta when Scott Wittkop visited the site. He mentioned there was a new Partnership for Women IRG being formed, which included a national committee of women, and suggested that Danika join. 

“I hesitated at first because I didn’t know if I wanted the attention on me when I was just trying to put my head down and do my job,” she said. “Once I joined, I realized how important it was that we have the conversation to address real challenges women face and explore ways to create awareness.”  

When asked about opportunities the PFW committee created, Danika replied, “In those early years, I remember us discussing things like how women don’t get invited to golf outings or other industry events. As a group, we decided to help women develop golf skills so they would feel more comfortable raising their hands to join an event.”  

PFW continues to organize events to help all partners learn how to become better relationship builders and increase their comfort when participating in company events. 

Danika also reminisced about the group’s first Professional Development Day, one of her favorite PFW memories.  

“They flew in women from across all regions to St. Louis for this national gathering,” she said. “Leadership was also present and it felt like a moment that really emphasized how serious the company was about supporting women in the workplace.” 

Deepening Her Construction Knowledge 

Reflecting on her learning journey in construction, Danika did not hold back. 

“I learned from a lot of tough experiences,” she said. 

Throughout her career, she gained the most insight from partners she worked alongside, also crediting trade partners for providing invaluable, hands-on perspectives. 

“I came with no construction experience, and I was pretty humble about that,” she said. “By leveraging trade partner knowledge, I learned how to be more effective in my job.” 

What does success look like in her workplace? 

“I’m loud,” she jokingly said. “I don’t know if that’s benefiting anyone.”  

However, Danika’s voice is arguably one of her greatest assets. Her ability to speak up and to approach work through a people-first lens may be what led Scott to recommend her for a leadership role on the PFW national committee. 

In 2017, Danika accepted a six-month project in Austin, Texas, with the potential to work on a larger project once it was completed. This led her to believe Austin would be her next long-term career destination, but instead an opportunity became available in Denver. Realizing she had longed to be closer to family, she made the move back home. 

Family, Travel and Food 

Outside of work, spending time with her family and friends is what Danika values most. Having grown up in Denver, her family remains a deeply important part of her life.  

“We lost my dad 13 years ago when I was in Georgia,” she said. “While I’m OK that I was away at that time, I didn’t want to miss out on time together with my family that is still here.”  

Danika also loves to travel, most recently having visited Maui and London with her family. 

“I love everything ...  from going and laying on the beach for hours, to trucking through Europe and exploring,” she said. 

Danika also enjoys her annual vacation with Lizzy Burge and Ruth Milian, both close friends she met at McCarthy. 

“We were all in Atlanta together initially,” Danika said. “Now we are all in different cities, but we go on a beach trip together every year. It’s a tradition that I love.” 

Danika also enjoys checking out new restaurants. Her top Denver restaurant recommendation is Alteño, an upscale contemporary Mexican restaurant with a really nice environment and amazing food.” 

She’s also no stranger to the kitchen. 

“I love to jump in and feed friends when they’re having babies, or you know, whenever!” she said. 

Building Strong Teams 

Danika is well aware of the influential role she has as a leader. 

“As a project leader, I just try to be aware of everyone on the job.” she said. “I want to make sure everyone feels included, gets an opportunity to speak and if someone has different accessibility needs, I want to make sure we work as a team to solve that. In doing so, we bring different types of people to the table, which is what we want.” 

She also believes it’s important for teams to find time to celebrate their wins - and each other. In the past year, her team has been working on projects for Southwest Airlines that require a great deal of hands-on work, in-depth collaboration and deep problem-solving. 

“There were a lot of moving parts and a lot of tricky jobs,” she said. “However, that was the most fun I had on a project in a long time! Those were some tough jobs and while everything may not have gone perfectly, we are really proud of what everyone did. We will be scheduling some kind of celebration soon.” 

When asked if there is a mindset she brings to work that helps her on challenging days, she said, “As you get a little older, you naturally learn to give things the appropriate weight. When you’re first starting out, a small issue with a submittal or RFI can feel world-ending. As you grow, you get to a healthier balance of what is actually urgent and what isn’t. You learn to let go of mistakes, which is healthy because we all make them.” 

Embracing a Bright Future 

Danika is excited about Denver’s recent transition to McCarthy's Central Region and the chapter the team is entering with new business unit leader Tyler Richardson. 

“I think we have a bright future ahead of us here,” she shared. 

Danika also marveled at the evolution of PFW and where it is today. 

“At first, it was a connection point for women to bounce ideas off one another and talk about shared challenges,” she said. “Now it has evolved into a broader, business-focused network that strengthens awareness among partners and managers around the experiences, development, and advancement of women across the organization. That is a really important step we took.” 

While construction started out as an unknown to her, Danika clearly found a true passion and strong sense of career purpose. She shared her gratitude for the incredible opportunities the industry has provided, along with the supportive community she’s found along the way. We’re equally grateful to have such a thoughtful, people-first leader shaping McCarthy’s culture and future.