Governmental Civil Service

I worked in the City of Houston Public Works Stormwater Department for approximately 1 year as a project manager. Here, I supervised stormwater engineering projects from the local scale to regional drainage infrastructure spanning project conceptualization through to construction. I collaborated with over 30 engineering companies in the greater Houston area to plan drainage solutions that met community needs.

During my PhD, I worked at the City of Houston Mayoral Office of Recovery & Sustainability as a flood specialist for 1 year. Our team engaged with various public and private entities to integrate holistic climate solutions after Hurricane Harvey flooded the community. We initiated several transformative projects and regulations for enhanced flood resiliency and climate change adaptation in the Houston area. We worked with local, state, and federal agencies to secure grant funding for community improvements aimed at long-term resilience in light of a changing climate, as well as a diverse and growing population. Several notable outcomes from this team included the Climate Action Plan, Incentives for Green Development, and Resilient Houston Initiative. I integrated concepts from each of these governmental frameworks into my trans-disciplinary dissertation research and partnered with various stakeholders for innovative participatory planning opportunities and insights into decision-making behavior.

Professional Engineering

I have ~8 years’ experience working as a civil engineering consultant at AECOM and Jones|Carter with an emphasis on community infrastructure and hydrology.  Technical expertise includes Geospatial Analysis (coding, web-mapping, data management, spatial processing), Civil Engineering (3D geomorphological channel design, construction plan-sets, design specifications), Project Management (cost estimates, field 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 internationally), writing proposals, setting budgets and schedules, and communicating expectations. I also supervised projects, 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)

For a sampling of consulting work: Download .ZIP of select industry contributions here.