Education: B.S. in Geological Engineering from Colorado School of Mines
Job Overview: I work in the Mining group in the Denver office designing Tailing Storage dams for mining clients around the world, but most recently in Peru and Chile.
How I ended up at MWH: After I graduated I worked for three years at a local geotechnical engineering company doing foundations designs and inspections, primarily for residential construction. In 2008 the housing market fell and I was laid off. I came to MWH which was a great change because it was more in-line with my undergrad degree.
What is on my desk right now: A grande chai tea latte from Starbucks, my phone, millions of papers, a toy koala and a toy platypus and a book about Water Education for Teachers.
Free time activities: I love to read. I read on the bus to and from work every day and I am in a book club. My husband and I like to brew our own beer, currently there is a Chocolate Wheat and a Nut Brown Ale fermenting at my house. I am also a sports nut, I love all Colorado teams!
Best career advice I’ve ever received: During Create the Future, Betsy Redfern said “When you were at school if you copied off someone else’s paper they called it cheating; now we have to re-train you to work together because what used to be cheating is now called collaboration!” This is great advice because it shows that you need to work smarter, not harder. If there is a template or tool already developed by someone else, use it!
Experiences at MWH: I am currently working on a copper mine in Chile. MWH performed the conceptual and feasibility level design and is currently working on the detailed design of their new Tailing Storage Facility project. Designing the new facility to be as water-efficient as possible is incredibly important because the project is located in the Atacama desert, the driest desert in the world. In addition to the design, MWH was recently awarded the Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management work as well, so our scope has doubled. I am involved in the design work, the permitting and the project management. It is a huge project and will hopefully be a stepping stone to other similar projects in the mining sector.
