Bio

Annie Kao
Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement
Simpson Strong Tie

Annie currently oversees industry outreach and community engagement, talent development and industry entry programs, and brand and product advocacy for Simpson Strong-Tie (strongtie.com). Her responsibilities include spearheading the company’s national industry outreach and engagement initiatives, identifying and pursuing strategic partnerships to amplify the company’s outreach and social impact efforts, engaging with various organizations to bring new talent to the construction industry, and championing the Simpson Strong-Tie brand, unique service model and product solutions through strategic advocacy initiatives.

Prior to this role, Annie served as Vice President of Engineering for five years. Annie studied science and engineering at Harvey Mudd College, received her master’s degree in structural engineering from UC Berkeley and joined Simpson Strong-Tie in 2006. She served on the Harvey Mudd College Board of Trustees from 2012-2015.

In addition to her work at Simpson Strong-Tie, Kao is very active in her professional and local communities. She sits on the board of directors of Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley in the Bay Area and is a founding member of the SEAOSC Women in Structural Engineering Committee. She was named to the Top Women in Hardware & Building Supply class of 2022 for Business Excellence, presented by HBSDealer magazine.

Annie also received the 2019 Barc Simpson Community Hero Award recognizing outstanding volunteer contributions by Simpson Strong-Tie employees in their communities.