Natalie is a project manager, and process engineer based in the Winnipeg, Manitoba office. As the Area Market Sector Leader for Western Canada, her focus is mainly on wastewater treatment. Natalie completed her master’s thesis in civil engineering on deammonification in 2017 while on maternity leave. She and her family are avid camping enthusiasts.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry.

I fell into the water industry by accident. I had originally entered engineering thinking that I would be mitigating environmental degradation through Environmental Impact Assessments, following my mother’s footsteps as a soil conservationist. In 2016, a co-op position within ArchTam’s Winnipeg water department changed my mind, when I was able to work alongside inspiring people on a few interesting projects.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

I’ve been lucky and very grateful to work on many projects where I’ve been challenged with stretch goals, and worked with interesting clients on diverse infrastructure concepts. I enjoy alternative delivery projects that allow for extensive collaboration with owners and the construction team. This collaboration allows for ‘project-best’ decisions, with the entire team prioritizing the project’s best interests. The upgrades at the North End Wastewater Treatment Plant for the City of Winnipeg have enabled our team to deliver each phase in the most effective way for the project. ArchTam is the Owner Engineer, and we help the City determine the delivery method first before moving forward. As the program manager, I enjoy building an ArchTam team from around the globe; being able to reach out and bring expert support for this upgrade is very rewarding. Recently, we’ve been deploying over 100 ArchTam staff per month to support our 8 active projects within the program. From designers and managers to wastewater operators, quality reviewers, DB advisors, cost estimators, and project controls, we leverage a wide range of expertise within ArchTam. Having such a diverse team allows us to approach problems from different angles and develop solutions that mitigate risks. This project has made me very proud to work for a company that truly values our various levels of technical expertise.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

When I started working full-time after graduation, I was given the opportunity to relocate to Trinidad to help a team on the design of two new wastewater treatment facilities and collection systems that ArchTam had been awarded. I was able to help but also learn on every project aspect. In addition to the facilities’ design, we encountered challenges that are likely unique to developing countries. For example, there were no proper as-builts on some of the sewered portions so we had to build our own – popping manholes and measuring. It was personally eye-opening to see how wastewater collection and treatment had been previously handled. Almost every community had potable water, but wastewater was either overflowing into drainage ditches or running through abandoned or neglected treatment facilities. Although it took a while for construction to begin, the impact that ArchTam’s team has made on improving the wastewater infrastructure and overall environment in Trinidad cannot be overstated.  

Share a piece of career advice.

Never stop asking questions, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s through setting those stretch goals for yourself and figuring out how to achieve them that you can meet some incredible people within ArchTam and our industry.

You should also try to get involved in a professional organization outside of work. Help organize an event, meet up with the local young professional (or old professional!) group, provide mentoring, and just get out there and meet your peers from other companies. Share your passion for doing what you love.

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Sian Willmott is an associate director – Sustainability, based in Melbourne, Australia. Over the last 11 years, Sian has worked on many major buildings, precincts and portfolios as a sustainable design consultant, challenging the status quo for initiatives that reduce environmental impact and improve occupant amenity. Sian works closely with ArchTam’s key clients to develop integrated solutions to complex project challenges and contributes to broader industry change through the Property Council of Australia’s Sustainable Development Committee. She is currently working across various technical disciplines to integrate ArchTam’s global Sustainable Legacies strategy, across the Buildings and Places business in Australia and New Zealand.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry

I’ve always been interested in architecture, and I recall sketching buildings from as young as eight years old. When I applied to study architectural engineering at university, I didn’t really understand the balance between the two disciplines in the course. The degree turned out to be heavily engineering-focused, with an appreciation of architecture. It was the sustainability subjects that really captured my interest due to their diverse application across multiple disciplines, and innate ability to influence architectural design.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

There are many projects which I’ve worked on that I’ve enjoyed for different reasons. In the last couple of years, a couple come to mind as career highlights:

Botanic High School – The education sector has always been attractive from a sustainability perspective because of the influence you can have on reducing environmental impact for owner-occupiers, but also the inspiration you can provide to students. Botanic High School, commissioned by the South Australia Department for Education, was designed to comfortably accommodate 1,250 students over two buildings, linked seamlessly via a central light-filled atrium. Working with Cox Architects, we delivered Environmentally Sustainable Design services alongside other building services disciplines. Inherently sustainable, the first building is an adaptive reuse of the existing old Royal Adelaide Hospital, Reid building. Whilst its main structure was retained, it was uplifted to match the modern exterior of the new building. Key design features included a high-performance facade, mixed-mode ventilation to teaching areas and a large central atrium (not actively conditioned) which is provided with a light-weight, variable shading ETFE ‘cushion’ roof, which constantly adjusts to optimise the balance of heat-gains and daylight to the space, depending on environmental conditions. The school achieved a 5 Star Green Star rating.

Whole of House – The objective of this project was to assist the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Energy Council officials to gather evidence and undertake analysis to progress Measure 31.2 of the National Energy Productivity Plan (NEPP). This project looked at the ease of achieving a net zero (energy or carbon) residential dwelling, considering both its thermal performance and appliances across differing climate zones and jurisdictions. Whilst the priority of this project was the modelling of different dwellings and communication of results, these had to be communicated and rationalised with over 180 stakeholders across the country. The work fed into the trajectory for low energy buildings, a national plan that sets a trajectory towards zero energy (and carbon) ready buildings for Australia. The plan was agreed upon in 2019 by Energy Ministers and identifies opportunities for the building sector in the context of a broader trajectory for the sector.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

We’ve been fortunate as a team to work on a variety of projects that impact the community from both an environmental and social perspective. I personally enjoy working on projects where I can influence the quality of the indoor environment to positively impact either the learning environment for students or the recovery of patients in the education and healthcare settings respectively.

The sustainability industry is quite collaborative given we all have a common goal and the Property Council of Australia’s Victorian Sustainable Development Committee has given me a voice on broader policies and precincts to advocate for holistic sustainable design.

My third career choice after engineering and architecture was teaching so, I get a lot of joy from engaging with others and helping them understand sustainable buildings and how they are designed. Through working at ArchTam, I have been fortunate enough to create connections with universities that have allowed me to tutor, provide career advice and mentor students across multiple disciplines.

For several years, I also sat on the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) committee, helping to engage with like-minded professionals on current industry issues and broaden the technical understanding of younger engineers.

Share a piece of career advice

David Peoples is ArchTam’s practice leader for Consulting & Technology and has been my manager for several years. David has always emphasised that “you are only as good as the team around you.” Since then, it’s been my mission to ensure that I’m helping support those in my team to pinpoint where and how they want to succeed and to help them develop their careers with values that align with what they want to achieve. There is no point in driving your own agenda in this industry. You really need driven people on board to support you, challenge you and help deliver outcomes to succeed.

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Rebecca is passionate about all aspects of healthcare — the planning and design of new facilities to meet increasing healthcare demand, the repurposing of existing facilities to meet changing needs, and assisting healthcare clients in understanding and managing their assets. With 22 years of experience in project delivery, including over 18 years dedicated to health-related projects, Rebecca has been involved in some of the most significant and complex healthcare projects delivered in Victoria. Her experience has included leading large, multidisciplinary teams delivering building engineering solutions for hospital, research and education facilities.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry

Growing up, I enjoyed most subjects at school. I recall a government campaign in high school called ‘maths multiplies your choices’, encouraging girls to explore maths at high school level. While I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to study at university, I did decide to keep my studies broad, and included maths and physics. I really enjoyed these subjects and began exploring opportunities for a career founded on these subjects, ultimately enrolling in a mechanical engineering degree. My studies in fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and heat and mass transfer led to an interest in building design, and following discussions at a university career fair, I discovered the world of building services! I joined ArchTam as a graduate engineer in 1999 and have continued to work in the industry ever since.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

I have had the privilege of being involved in a range of significant health projects in Victoria, including the Thomas Embling Hospital expansion, leading the PPP bid phase for the Frankston Hospital Redevelopment, and several strategic masterplan and feasibility study projects.

ArchTam’s has a strong track record in the health sector and is committed to providing critical social infrastructure to improve community wellbeing. I experienced this during my early ArchTam career with projects including the Austin and Mercy Hospital redevelopment and the Royal Women’s Hospital redevelopment, where I had the opportunity to work closely with one of my mentors John Colquhoun.

I particularly enjoy working on multidisciplinary projects — we have a strong culture of collegiality and collaboration across all disciplines and markets.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

I am fortunate enough to have been involved in the design of several significant hospital projects, which has always given me a sense of making a positive contribution to the local community.

In 2015, I was seconded to the Department of Health and Human Services as a technical and engineering services manager for the Monash Children’s Hospital. The feeling of contribution and understanding of the positive benefits to the local community was even more meaningful. As a mother of a child who has attended the existing hospital as an inpatient, I could see how the new hospital — including its large patient rooms, increased access to natural light and views, kid-friendly interior design and positive distractions — would lead to improved outcomes for patients, families and staff.

One memorable feature of the design is the diagnostic imaging department. It has several design features that make it more appealing and less threatening to children. Features include, the diagnostic ambient experience, including specialist lighting and themed images and sounds, which provides patients with positive distractions and a calming environment as they undergo imaging procedures; the toy MRI which helps young children become familiar with what is involved in the procedure; and the mock MRI which allows children to practice keeping still for the procedure. These tools have been found to significantly reduce the need for children to be anaesthetised for the imaging.

Share a piece of career advice

One of the biggest challenges of my early career was not understanding my purpose. I was exposed to many different experiences in the early years, but I questioned my suitability as an engineer. I found my passion and purpose when I had the opportunity to be involved in a hospital redevelopment project — and the rest is history. I’ve since had the privilege of being involved in several exciting and significant healthcare projects. Most importantly, I’ve learnt that my career is a marathon and not a sprint. My advice to others would be to take the time to explore different avenues, make the most of new opportunities, and eventually, your passion will become clear.

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Anna Cleaver is the market sector leader for wastewater in Ontario, Canada and a process engineer who focuses on biological wastewater treatment design and operations. She is a former student of ArchTam’s Water Academy, a global advanced training program that nurtures and develops emerging water technical leaders at every stage of their career with the company. Anna has recently taken on the role of co-director of the Water Academy’s Wastewater Treatment: Liquid Stream program and hopes to inspire budding wastewater process engineers across the globe.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry

I grew up on a farm in southwestern Ontario, where my family was fortunate to have a good well on our property, whereas many well sources in the area contained hydrogen sulfide. I understood at an early age how water quality could significantly influence one’s quality of life.

After doing a school project on dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (commonly known as DDT), I was inspired to develop alternative biopesticides to lessen farming’s impact on the environment. I pursued chemical and biochemical engineering at university, which led me to hydraulics in the oil and gas industry in Calgary, Alberta. This experience provided me with an opportunity to eventually move back to Ontario and work in water distribution. In this new role, I worked closely with a wastewater engineer who loved these ‘little bugs’ and I immediately became curious about biological wastewater treatment. I was thrilled! I had finally found my way back to improving water quality for the public and protecting the environment. Without any formal education in this area, ArchTam’s Water Academy provided me with the knowledge to launch a career in the field. I am certainly grateful for this training and support in developing my skills and pursuing my passion — utilizing biology to reduce peoples’ impact on the environment.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

The upgrade, expansion and optimization of the Greenway Wastewater Treatment Centre in London, Ontario is by far my most memorable work experience. Greenway is in the heart of the city, adjacent to the very popular river path and equally popular off-leash dog park. Although the surrounding area is owned by the City, it was important to the public to contain the treatment plant within its existing boundaries. I was excited by this challenge and to be involved in this project from the start — from its beginnings in the planning phase through to final construction and optimization. The project increased the plant’s treatment capacity within the existing site boundaries while mitigating raw sewage discharges to the Thames River. Our team repurposed poor performing clarifiers with square concrete tanks for chemically enhanced primary treatment of wet weather flows. The increased plant capacity delayed the need for a new wastewater treatment plant in the City’s southeast. After construction was successfully completed, our team continued to work with the City to evaluate the sewershed and satellite plants to best use available capacity at all plants and avoid the need for future large capacity upgrades.  

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

I am acutely aware that in Canada, the water infrastructure that ArchTam designs is funded by public money. I work closely with all levels of wastewater operations to ensure the decisions I make provide value. Large capital upgrades are necessary to sustain our infrastructure – and I search hard to find the balance of spending and improving. The highest value isn’t necessarily the highest cost option. I look to provide infrastructure that the client will use to improve the effluent quality, minimize overflows and simplify operational procedures.

Share a piece of career advice.

A mentor once told me, “You can have 20 years of experience, or you can have 10 years twice.” I work hard to ensure I’m on a 20-year career path. Careers are built one day at a time. With that in mind, never be comfortable with your current level of knowledge or consider your work to be routine. Always be curious, ask questions, follow up with operators and find learning opportunities in everyday tasks.

The post People Spotlight: Meet Anna Cleaver appeared first on Blog.

Since joining ArchTam in 2015, she has been supporting private and public sector clients to build, improve, monitor, and evaluate their programs and operations to work towards more sustainable and resilient practices. Most of Claire’s work focuses on climate change vulnerability and adaptation, environmental justice and community engagement, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy, action planning, and reporting.

Prior to joining ArchTam, she worked for non-profits, and as a contractor to the federal government, focused on water quality and improving the sustainability of clean water interventions. Claire holds a Master of Public Health in Environmental Health from Emory University and a Bachelor of Science in Geology from The College of William and Mary.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry

I grew up in a family that fostered a love for the environment from a young age and I credit a lot of my foundational thinking to an educational summer camp I attended and later worked at – Nature Camp. From there, I continued to cultivate that interest into applicable study areas with geology in undergraduate and environmental health in graduate school. Following the completion of my master’s degree, I was trying to find a career path that could utilize my scientific background, while moving the needle forward on creating a more socially and environmentally responsible world. During my job search, I found a job posting from ArchTam that included language around sustainability and after some research into the company’s practices, I applied. Seven years later, I’m still here. I’ve grown to truly value this industry for the amount of change we’re able to make by supporting our clients and working through complex ESG issues alongside them.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

My favorite ArchTam project to date is hard to choose! The first that comes to mind is our work with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in Boston assessing the vulnerability of their Red Line to future climate change scenarios. The project itself was a collaboration between MBTA and ArchTam where we developed a methodology that made sense for their assets and operations, which could be applicable to other parts of their system moving forward. The results of the analyses felt very tangible and useful to MBTA as they move forward with their own asset management and capital improvements. The other part of this work that makes it stand out are the internal team, who were engaging, sharp, and a joy to work with.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

Early in my career with ArchTam, I supported a project that assessed the disaster resilience of 208 small to mid-size businesses on several New Orleans historic corridors with funding from the United Nations. Given the vital role of small businesses within communities, the project sought to understand the resilience capacity of these businesses and identify meaningful ways to build up that resilience. During in-person interviews, business representatives reflected on and considered their disaster preparedness and resilience position, thus gaining an important learning opportunity through participation. In addition, they were provided with informational materials and offered free attendance to disaster preparedness and sustainable business trainings. The information has also been used as the city developed its Resilient Corridors Initiative which also has direct benefits to the community.

Share a piece of career advice

Never stop networking and try to put your best self forward with those interactions (when you can, we’re not robots!). Working at such a large company, it’s essential to market yourself to find individuals across business lines and practice areas that you enjoy working with and that you can foster relationships with. This has helped me be successful and have the pleasure to work on a wide array of projects with interesting people across the country and globe.

The post People Spotlight: Meet Claire Still appeared first on Blog.

Since 1998, Cathy has worked exclusively on large, multi-faceted remediation projects at abandoned mine and military sites in northern Canada. After 10 years of being based in Alberta, Cathy made the north her home, moving to ArchTam’s Yellowknife office in 2012.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry.

I didn’t know what engineering was coming out of high school and was sadly never pointed in that direction of study, despite excelling at science and math. I came to study engineering after three years of other university studies, learning about it through friendships with engineering students. Prior to studying engineering, I’d spent three summers tree planting in northern Ontario, living and working in very rugged conditions. I loved the work environment, so I picked geological engineering as my discipline for the prospects of continued remote, rugged work. My first job out of grad school — initially taken for research opportunities — exposed me to the remediation of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line military radar sites in northern Canada. This incredible experience hooked me on remote site remediation projects.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

I have no favorite project, but what does continually appeal to me is the beauty of northern, remote projects.

Historically, in the Canadian territories, operators leased land parcels from the federal government, with minimal bonding requirements for restoration. Sites were typically abandoned when no longer used, and responsibility for them reverted to the federal government. Remote sites are like small communities with their own fuel storage, power supply, communication equipment, and other operational infrastructure. Re-supplying them is very costly and done annually by barge or ice road. Abandoned sites usually date from a time when environmental protection was not a consideration. Consequently, abandoned sites typically have a high volume of waste remaining, deteriorated infrastructure with hazardous materials, considerable soil contamination from poor operational practices, chemical impacts to land and water from waste rock and tailings, and unsealed mine openings. The territorial sites are almost all on Indigenous land claim areas, where local people continue to live traditionally off the land.

 For remote sites such as these, there are no prescribed solutions and they all require effective integration of multiple disciplines to achieve a comprehensive, tailored remedial solution — making efficient use of on-site resources and creating remedial design strategies that address multiple issues at once. Designs must also be simple to build to maximize local, often inexperienced employment, offer permanent solutions with no maintenance requirements, and ideally, restore the land to allow for traditional Indigenous land use. Every job provides the opportunity for creative thinking and application of innovative solutions.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

Every site remediation project that I’ve provided resident engineering services for involves a mostly Indigenous contractor crew from small, isolated communities. Whenever interacting with the workers, I make the extra effort to explain to all of them — from heavy equipment operators to laborers — the reasoning for the remedial measures they are implementing. It’s my way of developing interest in science and engineering for people who, not unlike myself prior to university, have not been exposed to engineering or science work opportunities. I’ve mentored multiple keen, young people over the years, providing references for entrance to local college programs, or when applying to job opportunities.

Share a piece of career advice.

I’m a strong believer in witnessing how designs translate to construction, and of soliciting feedback from experienced contractors executing the building. I have become an infinitely better design engineer from overseeing construction and seeking input from contractors on how the design constructability could be improved. Collaboration is key to success.

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Emily Swearingen is associate vice president leading South Carolina’s Transportation Business Line and serves as site leader in Greenville, South Carolina. Since joining ArchTam in 2007, she has expanded her experience to managing a wide variety of multimodal transportation projects, as well as port, ITS, fiber and other projects.  She focuses on “hearing” the client and then delivering projects that meet their needs (and budget) and is always up for a challenge. She leads her teams following servant leadership, and never minds rolling up her sleeves to get the job done.  She is happily married to her high school sweetheart, lives on a farm and is the mother of 5 awesome kids.

Tell us what inspired you to join the industry 

While attending a small rural high school, I got to meet a civil engineer whose job was to design and coordinate traffic signals. I was so intrigued with the work they did and how it impacted so many people. Shortly after that, I decided that was what I was going to do and didn’t have a plan B, which meant I would have to get accepted at the only engineering school in the state, Georgia Institute of Technology. Once I started co-oping, I learned there were lots of ways to be a transportation engineer and got my first job doing roadway design for a local infrastructure firm in Atlanta, Georgia. 

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why? 
I think my favorite project has been an intersection improvement we were designing in the Low Country of South Carolina. It had so many unique challenges with more than a dozen hundred-year-old live oak trees, an elementary school, lots of traffic and safety issues, as well as heirs’ properties. Our team really worked together to come up with alternatives that were out of the box, improving traffic flow and safety, while saving trees and minimizing impacts to the properties.

When alternatives were presented to the public, there was lots of participation, interest and support. I  loved how our team worked together, developing really creative solutions such as an elongated roundabout, which was one of three alternatives developed to address operations and safety issues at an existing intersection, while minimizing impacts to multiple, more than 100-year-old live oak trees, and improve ingress/egress to an existing elementary school located less than 300 ft from the intersection.  Ultimately the scope of the project changed as the county council’s priorities changed, but I loved the challenge of solving a problem that did not have an apparent answer, thinking differently  to find a solution and ultimately getting the public’s buy-in of our ideas.   

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community. 

I have been fortunate to work on 15 Safe Routes to School infrastructure improvement projects in South Carolina as project manager, and on several as the lead engineer. I got to sit down with the school principals, parents and staff for each one of the schools and ask them what they saw needed to be done to make getting to and from their schools safer. We took notes, did a field visit and developed plans to implement those items based on the priority. Items we addressed varied widely with most schools needing sidewalks and Americans with Disabilities Act ramps, and others needing lighting, bicycle racks, crosswalks, traffic-calming speed humps or raised intersections, signals, shared use paths, fences and improved signage. These were not high-profile or high-dollar projects for that matter, but they made a big impact on the school and the communities they were in. I still drive by and look at them when I am in the area to see students using them every day.   

What career advice would you like to share? 
First is look for opportunities to serve in professional organizations. These give you access to other leaders in your field including clients, and allow you to lead teams or planning efforts that people remember.

Second is show up to work every day and do the very best you can. I honestly believe, if we are all doing the best we can, we will win enough work, deliver enough projects and continue to grow, as it will motivate our coworkers and get the recognition of our clients and when you notice someone who isn’t doing their best, ask them how their doing, help them if they need it, and teach them what they need to know. 

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Anne conducts multiple criteria assessments, triple bottom line analysis, economic impact studies and benefit-cost analysis to help public and private sector clients prioritize investments to improve resilience. Her analysis often encompasses conventional financial metrics as well as broader social and environmental metrics to develop a comprehensive understanding of both short- and long-term value of proposed projects. She couples economic analysis with contextualized and actionable program and policy recommendations to support implementation and equitable outcomes for communities.

Her team’s recent project work has included evaluation of the business case for resilience in the Tampa Bay region, a job impacts study of a proposed bond in New York State that would pay for water quality improvement and other resilience and environmental projects, and an economic assessment of how extreme heat will impact the Phoenix Metro Area.

Prior to joining ArchTam, she advised higher education clients on facility asset management and sustainability initiatives, including greenhouse gas quantification. She holds a master’s degree  in city planning from the University of California, Berkeley.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry
I have been passionate about environmental activism since high school and knew that I wanted to pursue a career that had some connection to sustainability. In college, I learned about city planning, which opened my eyes to the industry and to ArchTam. Effective planning has the potential to both improve people’s lives and decrease environmental degradation. On the Sustainable Economics team, we work to quantify those benefits to encourage better investments. While the challenges of climate change can at times feel insurmountable, I do find our work inspiring and I feel lucky to be able to think about these topics every day!

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?
My favorite ArchTam project was a benefit-cost analysis for a flood control system in the Two Bridges neighborhood of New York City. This analysis was part of a much larger planning, engineering, and design study led by ArchTam that built off our involvement on the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency Feasibility Study. The proposed project, called the Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery Coastal Resilience, is designed to protect thousands of residents, including many who live in affordable housing, and to enhance community access to the waterfront and recreation opportunities. Our Sustainable Economics team worked to better understand how social equity could be accounted for in the benefit-cost analysis using equity weights.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community
Our recent project in the Tampa Bay region builds off another business case for resilience we conducted in partnership with the Urban Land Institute for four counties in Southeast Florida. In that study, we found that the benefits of investing in adaptation outweighed the costs at a regional scale. That study also included policy recommendations to increase economic resilience, such as through improving climate risk disclosure processes, providing support to small businesses, and developing an occupational roadmap to a greener economy. While there was already an amazing amount of work happening in this region in the realm of improving resilience, the reception to the work was very positive and important efforts have been made since the report’s release related to mitigation and adaptation, such as Broward County’s Climate Change Action Plan.

Share a piece of career advice
A former boss told me to always prioritize people over process. No matter the size of the company, type of industry, or nature of work, remembering to focus on our people helps everything else fall into place.

The post People Spotlight Series: Meet Anne deBoer appeared first on Blog.

Caitlyn has over twenty years of experience in mineral processing across operating, design and project environments, predominantly for the alumina industry.  In addition to her alumina industry expertise, she has design experience with lithium hydroxide, coal, iron ore, silicon, vanadium, nickel processes.

As project design manager, Caitlyn has managed multidisciplinary engineering and design teams to achieve engineering delivery on time and within budget for various projects of up to $50M. As lead process engineer, she has built and led a strong process engineering team to support several Alumina industry capital project programs.    

What inspired you to join the industry? I’ve always been fascinated by how ordinary rocks are turned into incredible metals that are used for all sorts of purposes. I elected the Mineral Processing subjects whilst studying Chemical Engineering at the University of NSW. With my love of travelling to remote places across Australia, my first graduate job was in North East Arnhem land, which was a remarkable location for an Alumina refinery (the first step to making aluminium). That’s where it all began!

In this ever-changing world, there will always be complex problems that will require innovative engineered solutions. What excites me is working with both experienced and young minds as integrated teams, to develop these solutions. I am looking forward to these teams being diverse which provides great opportunities for increased female engineer participation.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why? I don’t have a favorite project, as I enjoy working on different aspects of a variety of mining and mineral processing projects. I like how mining assets and mineral processing facilities need input and expertise from so many different engineering and technical disciplines. Recently, I worked on an interesting South32 project at GEMCO with the Hydrogeologist team. It was great to gain an understanding of how knowledge of groundwater movement can assist and provide financial benefits to the manganese mining process.

Also, working with BHP on the Olympic Dam Village project, I loved learning how the community design aspects impact the success of the resulting project. Having lived in single-person quarters when I was a graduate, I am now excited to see the significant changes to modern-day villages. Remote mine site accommodation has come a long way over the years! Nowadays we are creating a community and focusing on both the mental and physical health of the remote living.

Pulling together the South 32 Global Master Services Agreement proposal was highly valuable in making connections with ArchTam teams in the USA, Canada, Columbia, and South Africa. It grew my understanding of our global capabilities within ArchTam. It was nice to share and collaborate with our teams all over the world.

I do have to say, I have a soft spot for alumina projects. Alumina processing just has so many different unit operations and so many pieces of equipment, that there is always lots of opportunities for learning and improvements. I started at ArchTam working on an expansion and optimization study on an existing refinery here in WA for ALCOA. That was interesting, although challenging as it was 90% heavy brownfields. My fingers are always crossed that we can work on developing a future new greenfields alumina refinery as they are few and far between.

What career advice would you like to share? I worked with a very driven and capable co-worker who always said, “There are many ways to skin a cat”. She said it so often that I now find myself saying it to my kids! At times, you feel like you come up against a brick wall, but you just need to take a step back and re-assess the situation to work out a different way to look at the problem to allow things to keep moving forward.

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Over her thirty-nine-year career in the engineering and construction industry, Maribel Chavez has repeatedly broken the mold and served as a trailblazer for younger generations. A life-long Texan, she sees firsthand the immense impact her work has on the communities she serves.

Before joining ArchTam, Maribel spent thirty years at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), serving as the agency’s first female district engineer. Maribel continues this legacy at ArchTam by serving as the company’s TxDOT Client Account Manager, helping to advance goals for the company’s surface transportation clients across the state. She displays her passion for mentorship every day, empowering younger generations to assume challenging roles and developing new leaders from within.  

What inspired you to join the industry? My early inspiration to work in engineering was the television sitcom, Family Affair. The patriarch of the show was a civil engineer who traveled all over the world building dams and bridges. I was fascinated by it and thought to myself, “I want to do that!” I was also inspired by my older brothers, who studied engineering before me. They encouraged me to pursue an education that utilized my aptitude for math and science. I didn’t really enjoy math in a classroom setting, but once I realized I could solve real-life problems – actually build something! – with math, it came together for me. The critical thinking and tangible application – that’s the fun part. It hasn’t stopped being fun in the nearly four decades I’ve been doing it.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community. So many of the projects I’ve had the privilege of working on over the years have challenged me technically and allowed me to work with amazingly talented and dedicated professionals. I’ve helped bring a project that was planned for over forty years to fruition, completed improvements for the World Series and Super Bowl, and worked with community leaders to deliver the world’s first pre-cast network arch bridge. Most importantly, the projects I oversee make a huge difference in the day-to-day lives of the community by increasing safety, connectivity, and mobility. 

My passion for mentorship is how I make my personal impact on the community. When I began working at TxDOT, I was typically the only woman in the field. I was the first female to serve as an area engineer, working my way up to be the agency’s first female district engineer. What was hard was establishing credibility – I was constantly having to prove myself. I set out to do my job well every day, to advance in my career, to be successful. Unfortunately, that had its challenges because of where the industry was at the time. I have the platform and experience to share the lessons I have learned and feel a great sense of responsibility – and honor – to help guide young women in this field. And, I’m still learning and experiencing “firsts” myself – it wasn’t until I came to ArchTam that I was managed by a woman! There’s a visible presence of women in leadership roles here and I gain knowledge from them and pass it on.

What career advice would you like to share? The best piece of career advice I can give is to take every opportunity that is afforded to you and fight for the ones that you are not given. If you see someone accomplishing something and think to yourself, “that’s what I want to be doing,” then find a sponsor who can help you get there. It’s so important for those in leadership positions to step up and personally engage with lending credibility to the younger generations – and in my experience this is something executives want to do! But, if you don’t find the right sponsor the first time, keep looking because that person is out there.

You really can be anything in this industry, so my advice is to try it all and see where your true passions lie.

Read more about Maribel’s career journey here.

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