My hometown is located along an estuary of the Gulf Coast of Texas, where my family has sustained heavy storm damages from Hurricanes Rita, Ike, and Harvey. For much of my high school tenure, we were displaced from our home and educational buildings, thereby utilizing temporary shelters while the community was re-built. Despite repeated flood events, the hydrological models for my small hometown were derived in the early 1980s and have yet to be updated. I decided to become a hydrologist to become part of the global solution.

(Photo of my hometown following Hurricane Ike. We experienced a ~20′ storm surge. Credit: REUTERS/David J. Phillip, Pool.)

Public Service

As a National Science Foundation (NSF) INTERN Fellow, I worked in the Houston Mayor’s Office of Flood Recovery for one academic year. We engaged with various entities to address flood mitigation after Hurricane Harvey, including special interest groups, non-profit organizations, diverse levels of government, and citizen interaction. We initiated several transformative projects and regulations for enhanced flood resiliency and climate change adaptation in the greater-Houston area.

I also formerly served as a consultant in the Houston Public Works Stormwater Engineering Department for AECOM, providing management of local drainage and capital improvement projects at the municipal level.

Private Consulting

I have 7+ years’ experience as a Civil Engineer, with an emphasis on hydrological modeling and design.  Technical expertise includes Geospatial Analysis (i.e. coding, web-mapping, data management, spatial processing), Civil Engineering & Project Management  (i.e. 3D geomorphological channel design, construction plan-sets, specifications, cost estimates, surveying, construction management), and numerous 1D/2D Hydrologic Modeling programs.

As a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.), I served as a client manager for private and public institutions (both locally and globally), writing proposals, setting budgets and schedules, and communicating expectations. I also provided project management, coordinated tasks, and mentored a team of graduate engineers, surveyors, and drafters to ensure project success.  I have worked on small-scale (building and neighborhood site design) to large-scale (city-wide stormwater master-planning) designs and have managed several million dollars worth of projects with positive outcomes and high client/team satisfaction.

A sampling of professional design experience includes:

  • FEMA Mitigation Grants & Map Revisions
  • Bridge Hydraulic Modeling and Highway Design
  • Large-scale Detention Ponds
  • Earthen Bank Stabilization
  • Channel Rehabilitation
  • Reservoir Modeling
  • Water Treatment Plants
  • Street Reconstruction
  • Land Development
  • Green Infrastructure & Parks
  • LEED Stormwater Design
  • Master Stormwater Drainage Plans (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
  • Construction Management (Ghana)
To see a sampling of work: Download .ZIP of select industry contributions here.