IVEY

Jennifer R. Ivey
Expert on water and environment
38, Principal Consultant
ARCADIS US Inc., Dallas

Jennifer Ivey contributes to ARCADIS' water division in multiple areas, including her primary roles as resource manager, technical expert and project manager.

"When I started thinking about a college major, my initial interest was in architectural and structural engineering until I took a fluid mechanics course and developed an interest in water resources and environmental engineering," she says.

Ivey was recently recognized with an internal award for being an ARCADIS Frontline Leader, a staff-nominated award recognizing the leaders that take care of staff and provide career development opportunities and mentoring.

She is a member of the American Water Works Association's Rates and Charges Committee and regularly volunteers with the Junior League of Dallas, Genesis Women's Shelter, The Family Place and Community Partners of Dallas.

JOUVENAL

Joseph Jouvenal
On the leadership fast-track
39, Vice President of Operations, Texas Division
McCarthy Building Cos., Dallas

Joseph Jouvenal has been at McCarthy for 16 years. He has been promoted five times to reach his current role of vice president. During one of McCarthy's most challenging projects, the $167-million Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Lab project in Atlanta, he was promoted three times. Jouvenal was selected to join 20 other employees for McCarthy's Advanced Leadership Program.

Jouvenal and the McCarthy team recently spent days building ramps and other necessary transportation modifications for outpatient children's homes with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

"Construction is an industry that is exciting, dynamic and team driven. I couldn't imagine being involved in a job that didn't have these attributes," he says.

KUHNEL

Benjamin Kuhnel
Drinking water project expert
34, Certified Project Manager
ARCADIS US Inc., Dallas

Benjamin Kuhnel has worked for ARCADIS for 11 years. He is one of the firm's top design experts for ozonation of drinking water and is also the top design expert for UV disinfection of drinking water.

Kuhnel is an active member of the International Ozone Association and the American Water Works Association. He has also served as the treasurer of the North Central Texas Chapter.

He currently works on almost all of ARCADIS' high-profile UV-related projects. He provides valuable technical insights and has been intimately involved in constructing and starting up the UV facilities.

"Following college, the opportunity came up to work in consulting specifically on the design and construction of drinking water treatment plants. When I heard more about what the job entailed, it was a good fit for my skills, and I jumped in and have never looked back," Kuhnel says.

LEITE

Fernanda Leite
Combines passion for construction and education
35, Associate Professor
University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Fernanda Leite is an assistant professor in construction engineering and project management in the civil, architectural and environmental engineering department at the University of Texas at Austin. Leite worked as a project manager in her home country of Brazil on multiple government and commercial building construction projects before earning her PhD in civil and environmental engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.

"When I was 8 years old, my grandfather took me to one of his construction jobsites in Brazil. That sparked my interest in construction. My interest in teaching began while teaching English in Brazil at an after-school program. So I combined both passions," she says.

Since her start at UT in January 2010, she has served as co-principal investigator and principal investigator in approximately $2 million of externally funded research. Leite has mentored minority undergraduate students since 2010 through the Cockrell School's Texas Research Experience Program.

MATTHEWS

Benjamin Matthews
Former officer manages Air Force programs
37, Senior Project Manager/Division Manager
Atkins, Dallas

Benjamin Matthews started his career as an Air Force officer after becoming a distinguished graduate in civil engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy in May 2000.

"After taking classes in mechanical, electrical, aeronautical and astronautical engineering, my heart came back to civil engineering because I could build or break things every day," Matthews says.

After serving as an Air Force officer from 2000-2007, Matthews became the full program manager on a $10-million-a-year consulting program with the North Texas Tollway Authority. He now manages Air Force programs nationwide as a division manager at Atkins.

Matthews became actively involved with the Society of American Military Engineers in 2005, taking leadership roles at the local Post level as the Young Members committee chair. In 2013, he was selected as one of six SAME Young Members nationally to attend the Emerging Leaders Alliance, which brings together future leaders from 11 engineering societies.

MCWILLIAMS

Meredith Epley McWilliams
One of Gensler's youngest titled staffers
31, Associate
Gensler, Houston

Meredith Epley McWilliams became a LEED AP while still at Rice University and made it a priority to become a licensed architect before she turned 30. She was promoted to associate after less than two years with Gensler, making her one of the office's youngest titled staff members.

"The first project I worked on when I started at Gensler was a master plan for Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center and surrounding convention district," she recalls. "It's been wonderful to see downtown Houston continue to evolve over the past few years, and I'm proud to have played a small role in shaping that transformation."

She has been a member of the Rice Design Alliance since 2010 and has volunteered regularly at their fundraisers and events over the years. McWilliams is also a member of the Bayou Buddies Program with Buffalo Bayou Partnership.

PARSONS

Ty Parsons
Building a reputation as a smart, dependable project manager
31, Project Director
Lee Lewis Construction Inc., Dallas

Ty Parsons joined Lee Lewis Construction Inc. in 2005 and since then has managed more than $426 million in construction projects. He began his career early, working at his father's residential construction company at 13 as an assistant framing houses.

Parsons began working at Lee Lewis the summer before his senior year at Texas Tech. His first project was the $65-million, city of Frisco Toyota Stadium. Upon his graduation in 2006, Lee Lewis offered Parsons a full-time position as a project manager in the Dallas office for the construction of Frisco ISD's $60-million Heritage High School. "There is no greater feeling than walking away from a successful project and a happy client," he says.

ROCK

Jolene Eulitt Rock
Alternative delivery and P3 expert
39, Vice President
AZTEC Engineering, Houston

Jolene Eulitt Rock has 17 years of experience in managing a wide variety of projects and strategic developments in Texas, including alternative delivery and public private partnership markets. Rock first began working on P3s in 2007, when assigned to work for three weeks in Madrid on value engineering for the LBJ Managed Lanes P3 project in Dallas.

Rock obtained her civil engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She then earned an MBA from the University of Houston.

Throughout her career, she has been an active member of industry and community organizations, including the American Council of Engineering Consultants and American Society of Civil Engineers.

TOMHAVE

Scott Tomhave
Driving expansive division growth
38, Division Manager
Swinerton Builders, Austin, Texas

In 2012, Scott Tomhave joined Swinerton Builders to create a new division in Austin. In Tomhave's two years as division manager, he has seen a big growth in projects—from a $15-million backlog when hired to a nearly $100-million gross in 2014.

After earning his undergraduate degree at Texas A&M, Tomhave spent nine years with a California contractor, quickly becoming one of the company's youngest-ever project managers. Tomhave then earned his MBA from Webster University while working full-time.

"I'm proud of working my way from banging nails to being a division manager for a great company," he says. "We have not only managed to build a great team but also positively change the direction our division both financially and culturally."

WOODARD

Travis Woodard
Louisiana native giving back to his home state
31, Principal
CSRS Inc., Baton Rouge, La.

Travis Woodard started his career estimating for a heavy/civil contractor while completing his MBA. In 2007, he joined CSRS Inc., leading the right-of-way delivery team on a $550-million program.

In April 2013, he became a principal at CSRS, one of six principals, and the youngest by almost two decades. Most recently, Woodard has led the firm's expansion into Southwest Louisiana. He led a team of 10 firms tasked with determining the impact of growth on the region, sponsored by Sasol. At the same time, he is leading a team to prepare a strategic housing plan for the five-parish region.

"Having grown up in Southwest Louisiana, the opportunity to lead such a phenomenal team of technical and intellectual talent in developing a blueprint for growth while helping the firm to capitalize on new related business development opportunities has provided me with a high level of personal satisfaction and professional development," he says.