Skanska USA has established national Communications leadership roles in alignment with its core US business lines. Effective immediately, Pamela Monastra is promoted to Senior Vice President, Head of Communications for Skanska USA’s building construction operation, and Michael Iacovella is promoted to Vice President, Head of Communications for Skanska USA’s civil construction operation.
In their new roles, Monastra and Iacovella will lead the promotion, protection, and evolution of Skanska’s reputation on behalf of and specific to their respective business lines. Accountable for all external communications – including thought leadership, executive positioning, and crisis & issues management – as well as employee engagement and change communications, these new roles are critical for advancing Skanska USA’s business plan. Additionally, Monastra and Iacovella will lead the evolution of Skanska’s national brand strategy alongside Beth Miller, Vice President, Head of Communications for Skanska’s US commercial development operation, as core members of the newly-formed Communications Leadership Team. Monastra, Iacovella and Miller report directly to Skanska USA Chief Communications Officer, Cynthia Eng.
Monastra will continue her role as a member of USA Building’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and will partner nationally with the human resources team to drive talent, development and recruitment. Iacovella will work alongside sustainability team members to lead the company’s national sustainability communications strategy, as well as support the US asset management organization. Both will assume direct managerial responsibility within the national, matrixed Communications team – where further appointments and roles are expected.
Pamela Monastra, Senior Vice President, US Building Construction
Pamela Monastra joined Skanska in 2013 as Senior Director, Head of Communications for the Southeast region of the US and was responsible for overall communications strategy and activities to support Skanska USA’s operations in Maryland, D.C., North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida. Monastra has worked closely with local executives to drive several key USA business goals, including bolstering Skanska’s image among clients, prospects, potential recruits, partners and the public at large.
From 2015 to 2017, her role expanded as she stepped in as interim Head of Communications for ID. In January 2018, Monastra was promoted to Head of Internal Communications and Employee Engagement for USA’s building construction operation, where she was responsible for partnering with her SLT colleagues to develop and implement communications strategies that support crucial priorities and change initiatives for the national organization.
Monastra brings over 29 years of combined experience as a communications expert and professional journalist. Before joining Skanska, she owned a consultancy advising global Fortune 500 companies. She also has deep expertise in crisis management and public affairs having worked for the State of Georgia as both its Director of Communications for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security and as its Public Information Officer for the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and Governor Zell Miller during the 1996 Olympics.
Monastra began her career as a professional journalist at ABC and PBS television affiliates in Ohio in addition to writing for the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. She is a graduate of Bowling Green State University in Ohio where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Pamela will continue to be based in Atlanta, GA.
Michael Iacovella, Vice President, US Civil Construction
Mike Iacovella is a visual and data-driven storyteller, living at the intersection of technology, media and the built environment.
Iacovella joined Skanska in 2016 as Senior Director, Head of Communications for Skanska’s Northeast region, which was comprised of seven offices across the states of Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. In this role, Iacovella has: enhanced and aligned employee engagement across business units through targeted campaigns and tech adoption; raised Skanska’s profile within the public sector through proactive partnering at the state and local levels; and, leveraged the company’s rich project portfolio to achieve meaningful earned-media results.
Iacovella has also directly supported the civil construction organization’s Senior Leadership Team since 2017. In April 2018, Mike was brought on an interim capacity to lead national employee engagement and change communications for this business of nearly 6,000 management and craft employees.
Prior to Skanska, Iacovella spent over 15 years consulting for leading organizations and institutions – from the Fortune 100 to non-profits and sovereign states. Ten of those years he spent with Edelman, a communication marketing firm. In addition to bringing a global mindset, Iacovella has leveraged with Skanska his experience across multiple industries, including alternative energy, real estate, design, financial services, manufacturing, transportation, infrastructure and B2B technology.
Iacovella began his career at Rubenstein Associates, New York’s storied media relations and public affairs consultancy. A LEED accredited professional, he earned a B.A. in Psychology from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, and is based at Skanska’s civil construction national headquarters at the Bulova Corporate Center in Queens, New York.
