Elected Region 2 Director
Vision statement
“Only a life lived in service is worth living,” is one of my favorite quotes, by Albert Einstein. In my 25-plus years of serving ASCE, this has truly been my motto, for advancing ASCE’s internal and external goals and mission. ASCE is the world’s leading authority in civil engineering, and there are both internal and external components that have contributed to our success: help the public understand what we do in our role as public stewards (external); and help advance, motivate, develop, and inspire our members and provide exceptional member value (internal). All the while, doing this in a way that supports equitable infrastructure and inclusion in the profession. One of my missions in life has been to help people in the civil engineering industry grow, succeed, and feel valued in ASCE. ASCE plays such an active role in retaining and advancing so many engineers in the Society and in our industry. ASCE offers professional development, networking opportunities, mentoring, and so much more. But we have a greater role to play - especially in diversity, equity, and inclusion. How can we ensure that the public knows what we do so we can inspire the next generation of engineers and increase resources and funding for infrastructure?
My vision for ASCE is to strengthen both those internal and external functions of our organization, and to do so in a way that fully supports diversity, equity, inclusion and justice.
The future of our industry is not just about diverse talent, but also about meeting the needs of tomorrow. My vision is to help harness the efforts in the following areas, using my experience in learning and development, as well as experience as an engineer. “Future World Vision” and “Engineer Tomorrow” are two incredible programs launched by ASCE and are currently being promoted at every level. The Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge (CEBOK) and the Future World Vision are both intertwined in helping to shape a safe future for us all. The CEBOK ensures that we as civil engineers have the abilities and skills to meet the future needs, and Future World Vision helps us to understand how that future may be shaped in terms of infrastructure.
The six years that I have served as Governor - and in many years in Members of Society Advancing an Inclusive Culture (MOSAIC), for which I am now Chair - I have spoken with members in our industry, both professional and student members. Through my discussions, I have found there is a greater need to feel connected and included, especially during the past 18 months in the COVID pandemic. I want to strategize how to better reach people, connect with them, include them, help them grow, and extend that circle of giving back in ASCE. We must fulfill our mission of, “Helping you matter more and enable you to make a bigger difference” and support college students who are eager to learn and grow as professionals; mid-level managers who want to enhance the development of their staff; and retired professionals, to help them to share their experience and life lessons. I believe this can only lead to a more connected, equitable, and inclusive profession.
As a Director, I can help bring the Society-level resources and knowledge back to Region 2 to help the great Region 2 Governors in all of their great initiatives for the Region. As Director, I promise to lend my work ethic and energies for the betterment of our Society, for the profession, and our members.
Biographical statement
Education
- Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, Temple University, 1992
Certification and licenses
- Professional Engineer, Pennsylvania
- Project Management Professional, PMI
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Accredited Professional, LEED AP, USGBC
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certificate, Cornell University, 2021
Work experience
- Urban Engineers, Inc.
- Chief Learning Officer, 2019-present
- Vice President, 2010-present
- Director of Training, 2010-2019
- Manager of Training, 2007-2010
- Project Manager, 2003-2007
- Parsons Brinckerhoff
- Project Engineer, 1998-2003
- Engineering Graduate, 1993-1998
ASCE involvement
Society-level
- Chair, Members of Society Advancing an Inclusive Culture (MOSAIC), 2021-present; Vice Chair, 2020-2021
- Corresponding Member, Committee for Professional Practice, 2020-present
- Corresponding Member, Governing Documents Committee, 2020-present
- Member, Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, 2019- 2020
- ASCE Convention Presentations:
- Leverage Your People-Power: Civil Engineers Shape Policy, 2021
- Power Pairing: Engineering Innovation with Diverse Teams, 2021
- Futuristic Infrastructure: The Age of Megacities, 2021
- #Inclusion: Become a Change Agent to Rise Together, 2020
- How to Influence Without Positional Power, 2019
Local-level
- Region 2 Board of Governors, 2015-2021
- Vice Chair, 2020-2021
- Chair, Nominations and Elections, 2015-2021
- Secretary, 2015-2020
- Webmaster, 2015-2020
- Coordinator, Inaugural Social Media, 2017-2020
- Chair, Inaugural Awards Program, 2017-2020
- ASCE Pennsylvania Report Card for Infrastructure, 2019
- Region 2 Assembly Presentations:
- MOSAIC Best Practices Guide, 2021
- DEI in Student Chapter Leadership, 2020
- Philadelphia Section
- President, 2006-2007
- Past President, 2007-2009
- Vice President, 2005-2006
- Secretary, 2003-2005
- Member, Awards Committee, 1998-present
- President, Younger Member Forum, 2000-2001
- Vice President, Younger Member Forum, 1999-2000
- Secretary, Younger Member Forum, 1998-1999
Other volunteer activities
- Councilperson-Elect, Lansdowne Borough Council, 2021
- Member, WTS International, Inclusion Committee, 2020-present
- Chair, Lansdowne Borough Environmental Advisory Council, 2019-present
- Board of Trustees, Lansdowne Friends School, 2015-present
- Chair, Lansdowne Friends School, Property Committee, 2015-present
- Member, Delaware County Sustainability Council, 2020-2022
- Chair of the Council on Standards Development for the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training, 2018-2021
- Vice President of the Philadelphia Engineering Foundation, awarding scholarships to students in need in the Delaware Valley of PA, 2010-present
- Co-chair, Urban Women's Professionals Network, 2007-present
- 25 years as a volunteer and leader in Women's Transportation Seminar; President, 2007-2009
Awards
- WTS Philadelphia Diversity Award, 2021
- Delaware County Engineer of the Year, 2020
- Temple University League of Entrepreneurial Women, 2014
- Temple University, College of Engineering, Gallery of Success, 2009
- ASCE National Edmund Friedman Award for Professional Achievement, 2006
- WTS Philadelphia Member of the Year, 2006
- ASCE Zone 2 Citizen Engineer Award, 2005
- Delaware Valley Young Engineer of the Year, 2002
- ASCE Philadelphia Member of the Year, 1999
Publications
- ASCE Interchange: How to Influence Without Positional Power