Civil Engineering Alum Wins a First Place Women Who Empower Innovator Award
Kaitlin McCarthy, E’09, civil engineering, is a first-place recipient of a Northeastern 2024 Women Who Empower Innovator Award, in recognition of her real estate development work as founder and CEO of Ionic Development Co. and the opportunities she provides to women.
In the competitive Boston, Massachusetts real estate development market, Kaitlin McCarthy, E’09, civil engineering, is succeeding as founder and CEO of Ionic Development Co., one of city’s only women-owned development and consulting companies. It focuses on community-centric development projects and the advancement of women in what can still be a rough-and-tumble business.
In recognition of her leadership, McCarthy received a Northeastern 2024 Women Who Empower Innovator Award, achieving first place in the Experienced Alumnae category. Each year, through this award program, Northeastern recognizes women entrepreneurs for their “innovative and boundary pushing work.”
McCarthy, who earlier this year was honored as one of the Outstanding Women of Commercial Real Estate by the Boston Real Estate Times, says the Northeastern recognition is particularly satisfying because “Northeastern is where I began my journey and started my professional life.”
She says her time at Northeastern, 
which included three co-ops, was critical to establishing her career. She landed her first full-time job upon graduation at Turner Construction Co., where she had worked as a co-op student. McCarthy says co-workers and managers she met at all three co-ops remain part of her professional network today.
“You can go in so many directions with engineering,” McCarthy says. “It’s so important to have experiences that help you see where you want to go.”
McCarthy’s first co-op was at Howard Stein Hudson, a Boston-based engineering services firm that focuses on traffic and transportation solutions. Her second co-op was at Simpson, Gumpertz and Heger, an engineering firm that provides comprehensive engineering services. She then joined Turner Construction Co. for her final co-op.
The co-ops enabled her to look at the civil engineering profession from different perspectives and helped her establish a strong work ethic.
“Co-ops really teach you how to show up for a full-time job,” McCarthy says. “Having a full six months really allows you to dig deep into a project, build relationships at the company, and get real-world work experience.”
McCarthy places a priority on giving back to Northeastern, serving as a member of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department’s Industrial Advisory Board and the Galante Program Industry Network Council.
She also likes to help individuals on a one-to-one basis. “I often get outreach from students, colleagues, or peers to help them as they make decisions about their own journeys,” McCarthy says. “I try to make sure I take those calls because so many people took those calls from me. It’s so important.”
After her time at Turner Construction, McCarthy took on increasingly challenging jobs and earned an MBA at Harvard Business School. Before founding Ionic, she served as a vice president at HYM Investment Group, where she oversaw high-profile Boston residential and commercial developments.
“The combination of the engineering degree and the MBA have been invaluable in real estate development, which is a field that covers both technical and business aspects,” McCarthy says.
As CEO of Ionic, McCarthy employes two women and together they manage a range of residential and commercial projects, including one currently in the initial stages that will create a 200-unit affordable residential building at the Seaport, one of Boston’s newest upscale neighborhoods. Ionic is partnering with The Menkiti Group, The Community Builders, and Sinclair Real Estate Group on this project.
“This project is incredibly unique because it’s all affordable in the Seaport, which currently has very high rents,” McCarthy says.
She says she’s adapted well to being the CEO, even in those moments when she’s nudged out of her comfort zone. “As an entrepreneur, you face something every day that you haven’t faced before,” McCarthy says. “But I love it because I know I’m constantly learning new things and pushing myself to the next level.”