Bringing Classroom Lessons to the Jobsite

Jared Witt (EMDC ‘25) is an assistant project manager at F. H. Paschen, a Chicago-based national construction firm specializing in complex transportation, infrastructure, educational, healthcare, and commercial projects across the United States. The firm has roots in the built environment sector dating to the rebuilding effort following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. 

He is part of a project team developing two four-story apartment buildings in Bellwood, Illinois—15 miles west of Downtown Chicago. The project is one of the centerpieces for Phase 1 of Bellwood Mayor Andre Harvey’s long-term vision to create a downtown district for the community.  

“What excites me most about my work and the industry in general is its tangibility,” Jared said. “At the end of a project, you can physically see what you and your team have played a part in creating. Taking a step back and realizing that a structure will serve real people, support a community, and have a long-term impact is extremely rewarding.”  

The plan is to redevelop a corridor inside the village to spur business and residential growth to increase the village's tax base while providing more shopping and dining alternatives. When completed, the two buildings will have a combined 71 apartments and 6,000 square feet of commercial space on the first floor.  

To succeed in his role, Jared continues relying on lessons learned in Northwestern Engineering’s Master of Science in Executive Management for Design and Construction (EMDC) program.  

He was drawn to EMDC because of the opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals actively working in the industry. He was part of the first cohort of students to engage in the program's hybrid teaching model, which features online courses and quarterly in-person weekend intensives on campus.  

The on-campus weekend intensives may be a logistical challenge for busy professionals such as Jared, but they are more than worth it, he said.  

“The weekend intensives were some of my favorite experiences in the program,” Jared said. “Being in the classroom with classmates and professors created meaningful discussions and allowed us to learn from each other’s experiences.”  

Jared relished hearing from his classmates about the types of projects they were involved with. He routinely drew on his current experiences as well as takeaways from the previous roles in his corner of the built environment sector to bring thought-provoking questions and meaningful dialogue to the classroom. 

“One of the biggest strengths of EMDC is how immediately applicable the lessons are,” Jared said, “After almost every session, I found myself bringing ideas, tools, and approaches directly back to the jobsite. The program focuses on real-world applications, not just theory.” 

Jared said there are three key lessons he now finds vital to his daily work:  

• The importance of emotional intelligence in leadership. “Emotions are contagious," he said, "and directly impact team morale and performance.” 

• The mindset of “running to the fire” instead of away from it. “Issues rarely improve on their own," he said, "and addressing them head-on is critical.” 

• Betting on people until they prove you wrong, which encourages growth, trust, and development within a team. 

Jared also finds himself routinely returning to conversations he had with classmates during weekend intensives. The goal behind the curriculum change was to help foster teamwork and collaboration in an industry that can often be siloed. It also was aimed at enabling professionals from the variety of specialized companies that comprise the built environment sector to learn from their counterparts in related fields.  

Mission accomplished, at least from Jared’s perspective.  

“The program is a significant commitment, but like most things in life that are worth doing, the effort paid off,” he said. “The knowledge, perspective, and growth gained made the challenge worthwhile.”