Barbara Kavovit

Barbara Kavovit was born in The Bronx, New York, to a history teacher mother and a mechanical engineer father, Joseph Kavovit. She pursued higher education at the State University of New York at Oswego, where she majored in economics and finance, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in 1987. Her early career saw her founding Anchor Construction, a significant achievement that led to her recognition as one of “Crain’s New York’s” “100 Most Influential Women in Business.” In 2015, Kavovit founded Evergreen Construction, a New York City-based general contracting and construction management firm, where she serves as CEO. Her work in construction has included notable projects, such as redesigning Harvey Weinstein’s former New York City offices in 2020, where she emphasized female leadership by using female tradespeople and a female project manager as part of her project bid. She has also developed her own line of construction tools for women, DIYVA, which she uses in her projects.

Beyond her construction work, Kavovit is an accomplished author. Her publications include two nonfiction books, “Room For Improvement” (2005) and “Invest in Your Nest” (2006). In 2019, she released her semi-autobiographical fiction novel, “Heels of Steel,” which explores themes of sexism and corruption in the male-dominated construction industry through the journey of a Bronx-born female CEO. Her public profile expanded through her appearances on reality television, particularly “The Real Housewives of New York City.” She appeared as a guest on several seasons before joining as a friend of Luann de Lesseps for season 11. In 2021, Kavovit engaged in the political sphere by announcing her candidacy for the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary, running on the platform of rebuilding New York City. She later dropped out of the race in June 2021 and endorsed Kathryn Garcia.