Ashley Welvaert – Modigent

When most teenagers were reading for fun or homework, Ashley Welvaert was studying Scott Turow’s “One L.” The book—Turow’s first-hand account of surviving Harvard Law—didn’t scare her off; it drew her in.

Ashley Welvaert | Modigent | Chief Legal Officer

“I read it in my freshman year of high school and thought, this sounds like the kind of challenge I want,” she recalls.

For a self-described “argumentative and bossy child,” the legal field offered a fitting outlet: a profession where intellect, precision and leadership converge.

From that moment, her path seemed set. But like most great stories, the route wasn’t linear. After earning a history degree from Texas A&M University and graduating early from Baylor Law School in 2012, Welvaert entered a job market still recovering from the 2008 financial crisis. The firm that had offered her a position rescinded it.

A boutique firm near her hometown needed part-time help. She took the job, planning to regroup. A client—a national mechanical contractor—changed everything. During a lunch meeting with the client’s legal team, they saw in her a mix of confidence, competence and curiosity. Soon after, they offered her a full-time in-house counsel role.

“That was the turning point,” she says. “It wasn’t what I planned, but it was exactly what I needed.”

That chance encounter launched a career not just in law, but in the blue-collar industries that build, wire and power the world around us.

Finding purpose in the trades

Over the next decade, Welvaert found her calling where hard hats, piping and ductwork are the norm.

“I love working with real people who build tangible things,” she says. “You can see and touch the results of your work—it’s not abstract.”

After joining the national mechanical contractor, her combination of legal acumen and operational instinct stood out. When a leadership gap emerged in the safety department, she volunteered to step in, earned her OSHA 30 certification and expanded her responsibilities to include the legal, safety, risk, and compliance functions.

That hands-on leadership reshaped her view of in-house counsel.

“Legal doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” she explains. “The more you understand operations—and how safety, risk and legal intersect—the more valuable your legal advice becomes.”

Her proactive approach paid off. Safety performance improved, and she rose to assistant vice president of safety and risk management. The experience confirmed her belief that great in-house lawyers don’t just guard against risk—they help build the systems that prevent it.

That operational mindset, paired with a people-first leadership style, caught the attention of industry peers. When a former colleague—now COO of a fast-growing infrastructure company called Modigent—came calling, Welvaert saw a chance to build something from the ground up.

The business of building people

Headquartered in Phoenix, Modigent has quickly become a national leader in next-generation infrastructure—delivering mechanical, plumbing and controls systems for hospitals, campuses and other critical facilities. Its design-build capabilities improve reliability, efficiency and performance nationwide.

What truly sets Modigent apart is its culture.

“We don’t say employees—we say people,” Welvaert notes. “It’s not just branding. The company genuinely walks the walk.”

Joining Modigent in early 2023 as its first Chief Legal Officer, Welvaert was asked to build the legal function from scratch. That meant more than drafting contracts—it meant embedding legal strategy into daily operations.

“The leadership team didn’t just want a lawyer,” she says. “They wanted a business partner.”

She embraced the role, taking on legal, safety, risk and corporate compliance.

“I am a working CLO,” she says. “I still roll up my sleeves and do the legal work because that’s how you stay sharp.”

When safety metrics ticked up during a busy summer season, the CEO asked her to lead a reset. What followed was a company-wide transformation. Through clear accountability, renewed in-the-field assessments and leadership reinforcement, Modigent’s TRIR is now best in class—even after another busy summer– evidence that the systems are working and that safety is embedded in the company’s culture.

“Getting through another busy summer was the true test,” she says. “It showed the processes were working—and that people were embracing them.”

That trust, she adds, is the real measure of success. “Legal and safety aren’t about compliance alone. They’re about creating an environment where people feel supported enough to do their best work.”

Strengthening the foundation

Welvaert’s leadership is grounded in authenticity and humility.

“I’m the same person inside and outside the office,” she says. “I don’t believe in personas. People respond to honesty, even when it’s not the easy conversation.”

That pragmatism guided an early decision at Modigent: hiring her mentor, a former chief legal and people officer, as associate general counsel. Some might hesitate to bring in someone more senior, but Welvaert saw an advantage.

“She brings deep experience and dependable execution,” Welvaert says. “That lets me focus on building the department strategically, knowing the day-to-day is in excellent hands.”

Their complementary strengths accelerated the department’s growth. Together, they’ve built a high-performing legal team that communicates with the ease of longtime partners.

“We didn’t need to formalize our division of duties,” Welvaert says. “We already had trust, open dialogue and an understanding of each other’s strengths.”

She brings that same intent to developing future leaders.

“There’s a project manager here who recently graduated from law school,” she says with a smile. “She’d be a dream team member one day. I’m always looking for ways to promote from within.”

That approach aligns with Modigent’s broader investment in talent—apprenticeship programs, upskilling and leadership development are all part of the company’s efforts to help people build careers in the trades.

The broader goal is a culture where women in construction and mechanical systems see leadership as attainable.

“When I started, there weren’t many women in the industry,” she says. “That’s changed significantly—and I’m proud to be part of a company helping lead that change.”

Welvaert is a regular at industry events like the Construction Law Conference in San Antonio, where she’s watched female representation grow.

“Construction law has come a long way,” she says. “There’s a growing community of women who are not just participating but leading.”

Leadership in motion

As Modigent scales, Welvaert’s work sits at the intersection of law, operations and culture. Every new project, acquisition and partnership requires legal to anticipate challenges and provide clear, practical guidance.

Her style—direct, approachable and collaborative—has made her a trusted advisor to the CEO and across the company’s expanding footprint.

“Our CEO and I often say we’re floating above the organization, looking at how all the parts connect,” she explains. “It’s about alignment—making sure everyone is moving forward with the same goals in mind.”

Despite the executive seat, she resists becoming purely strategic.

“I never want to stop doing some of the tactical work,” she says. “You get rusty if you don’t stay close to it.”

That grounded approach, coupled with servant leadership, helps redefine what a modern CLO looks like.

Outside the office, her life balances structure and spontaneity. She’s a devoted Houston Texans and Texas A&M Aggies fan (“Football is my favorite season,” she laughs) and treasures weekly date nights with her husband. And when she’s not reading legal briefs, she’s back to where it began—reading for the joy of it.

Looking back, the throughline is clear: curiosity, courage and commitment to people. From that high school book to leading the legal, safety, risk and compliance functions of one of the country’s fastest-growing infrastructure companies, Welvaert has built a career that’s as authentic as it is accomplished.

“I thrive in roles that are more than just legal,” she says. “Law is what I do, but leadership—helping people, solving problems, building systems that last—that’s who I am.”