Janki DePalma, CPSM
Since 2017
Active
Janki DePalma member
AEC marketing professional
Janki brings exceptional strategic growth expertise and relationship-building to construction management and business development, currently serving as Director of Business Development at W.E. O’Neil Construction, where she leads market expansion initiatives positioning the firm as a trusted partner throughout Texas and Central Texas. Since joining W.E. O’Neil in 2024, she has established a $1B+ pipeline through high-value relationship cultivation, strategic networking, and authentic partnership development.
Her comprehensive expertise spans architecture, engineering, and construction—having worked across the entire AEC trifecta throughout her distinguished career. Janki specializes in strategic business development, client experience optimization, proposal strategy, win strategy development, and CRM management using platforms like Unanet to enable data-driven decision-making and cross-functional alignment.
With 25+ years of experience in one of the most competitive AEC markets in the United States, Janki excels at connecting decision-makers, identifying emerging opportunities, and fostering trust-based partnerships that deliver measurable impact. Her market intelligence combined with relationship-building expertise creates sustainable value for clients across education, commercial, multifamily, institutional, and municipal sectors serving the rapidly growing Austin and Central Texas region.
Janki demonstrates extraordinary professional leadership through both her CPSM certification and her prestigious FSMPS designation, representing the highest level of achievement in AEC marketing. As a Fellow of SMPS, she has been recognized for sustained excellence and exceptional contributions to advancing the professional services marketing profession through national thought leadership, innovative programming, and authentic advocacy for inclusion.
Her most significant leadership contribution came through her service as SMPS Austin Chapter President (2021-2022), where she was honored as 2023 SMPS Chapter President of the Year—the first recipient from the Austin chapter and the first Asian-American female to receive this prestigious national award. During her presidential term, Janki created the groundbreaking “I Belong” campaign promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the AEC industry, and established “Drinks with Developers”—an innovative networking series connecting AEC professionals with real estate developers and decision-makers that continues to drive business opportunities across Central Texas.
Janki’s national thought leadership extends through her role as quarterly contributor to The Zweig Letter, reaching over 3,000 C-suite leaders nationwide with insights on business development strategy, leadership authenticity, psychological safety, and professional growth. Her published articles include “Escaping the Cult of Humility by Embracing a Growth Mindset,” “Are We Suffering from Extrovert Bias?,” “Confidence vs. Competence,” and “If a Tree Falls and No One Is Around”—each challenging conventional wisdom and offering practical frameworks for AEC professionals to thrive authentically.
As an inaugural participant in Zweig Group’s ElevateHER Cohort, Janki co-created Employee Engagement cards under the precept that before you can turn the talent pool into an ocean, you must first improve the employee experience. This innovative tool has been adopted by firms nationwide to strengthen workplace culture and retention.
Her signature presentation, “From Pack Mule to Unicorn,” helps AEC professionals shift from being merely useful to truly valuable—a message she has shared at industry conferences including SMPS Amplify, AIA Design Excellence, and the Institute for Leadership in Capital Projects. She also created The BD Stylist framework, a practical tool helping professionals discover their authentic connection style and move beyond outdated, extrovert-driven business development approaches.
Beyond SMPS, Janki served four consecutive years on the AIA Austin Board of Directors, chairing initiatives for Women in Architecture, ACE Mentors Austin, and CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women), while graduating from Leadership Austin Essential Class 44 in 2023. Her community leadership demonstrates comprehensive impact beyond traditional marketing roles, contributing to regional civic engagement and leadership development.
Achievements:
