Deacon Spotlight: Alexandria Gwynn

Alexandria Gwynn (’13, BA Women’s & Gender Studies)

Director of Commercial Contracts and In-House Counsel for Brightmark in Durham, NC

Tell us about your current job role and employer. What are you currently working on?

 I am Director of Commercial Contracts and In-House Counsel for Brightmark.  

Brightmark is a San Francisco based company that captures greenhouse gas emissions to generate renewable products. Brightmark has two divisions, a Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Division and a Plastics Division. I work specifically with our RNG group to review, draft, and negotiate commercial contracts. I also provide creative business solutions for project financing, development, and construction.

I also serve as Adjunct Professor of Negotiation at NC Central University School of Law.

What key personal and/or career experiences led you to where you are today?

At Brightmark I leverage my construction and transactional experience from my previous role at Turner Construction Company.

Turner is an international construction company with revenues of $17B in 2023. During my time at Turner, I negotiated complex deals for construction projects in tech, higher education, healthcare, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, local government, aviation, and collegiate and NFL sports teams.

My contract and negotiation expertise, curiosity, and my professional network led me to the renewable natural gas space with an emerging company.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job? How do you navigate that challenge?

Growth and change present new challenges. Taking the time to learn the industry that you are in is critical to early success in any role. Getting to know stakeholders across departments helps you gain a broader perspective of your organization.

What advice would you give to Wake Forest graduates about developing their personal life habits after college (finances, health, values, work/life balance)?

Self-awareness and emotional intelligence (EQ) are critical in both your personal and professional life. There are so many resources available to help students and young professionals navigate life’s challenges. I enjoy reading books and listening to podcasts on different topics.

I also recommend that students and young alumni tap into the resources at WFU. I recently completed the online Next Level Mentoring program with John Champlin, and I gained valuable insight and introspection from the program.

We know that relationships are important for any kind of development. How do you build and maintain your network?

I value organic relationships and I also think about how I can add value. With this mindset it is easier to build and maintain your network. Even if you do not consistently check-in with your network, people will remember how you made them feel, so leave a good impression.

Tell us about your mentoring relationships. What impact have these relationships had on your career and life?

My former manager, Conor Tighe, has been instrumental in my career and development as a young lawyer. Conor hired me as an intern at Turner in my last year of law school. When he hired me back in 2018, I had no idea that I would grow to enjoy in-house counsel practice or construction. Fast forward to 2021, I was hired full-time by Turner. Having mentors like Conor who are willing to invest in you is invaluable, especially for first generation students like me. Also, having a personal “board of directors” or a group of trusted advisors of family, friends, and colleagues had a positive impact on my life.

What advice would you give to current Wake Forest students and/or young alumni who are interested in working in your industry?

I tell my mentees that your career path may not be linear.

For example, I attended law school part-time while working at Social Services in Durham, NC. From there I had various legal roles, but my goal was to gain transactional experience in a corporate legal department. I found my internship opportunity with Turner on Indeed.com. Although I had no prior construction experience, I focused on the transferrable skills I would gain and how I could add value.

Since law school, I have worked in various industries including tax compliance automation, construction, and now renewable natural gas. Students and young professionals should think strategically by leveraging and building transferable skills. Also, remember to build relationships and leave good impressions.

What’s next for your career? What future goals or plans are you pursuing?

I enjoy advising on business operations and strategy!

Story published in July 2024. For current updates about Alexandria, visit her Linkedin.