ABOUT
A colleague once described me as “the first true generalist [she's] encountered.” I’m a problem-solving engineer with a depth of experiences across industries, countries, and teams, which have formed my holistic expertise.
I’ve worked in Oman, Spain, Bolivia, Panama, Rwanda, and the US, and I’ve also lived in the UK, Belgium, and South Korea. I’m an expert at adapting quickly to new environments and challenges and am comfortable communicating with teams across languages, cultures, and business functions. My hair is no longer blue, but I remain open to more new experiences.
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I love playing Ultimate Frisbee and have played in tournaments in 10 countries. Other hobbies include zero-waste cooking, mixology, and climbing.
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Whether you are looking for a project consultant or just curious to learn more about any of my experiences,
SKILLS & EXPERTISE
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Smart City and sustainable infrastructure, transportation and energy engineering
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Project management
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Data analytics
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Operations
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Stakeholder management
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Languages: Native English speaker and fluent in Spanish. I also speak Korean and a little bit of French. I studied Arabic and Kinyarwanda while living in Oman and Rwanda, respectively, but have a lot more to brush up on with those.
WORK EXPERIENCE
2020 - Present
Career Break / Grad School / Incubator / Motherland
United Kingdom > Belgium > Spain > South Korea > Philadelphia, USA
I moved to Europe during the throes of the global pandemic to start a Master's degree studying aspects of smart city planning and energy engineering. During this time, I worked on building a business from scratch at a startup incubator (Demium International Talent Investor Barcelona) and also conducted research for my thesis with a firm specializing in applying data science to urban planning (Aretian Urban Analytics & Design).
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Following completion of my studies, I moved to South Korea for several months to connect with my cultural heritage and learn about Asian infrastructure systems while digesting everything I learned while in Europe.
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Now I'm back in the US and looking for opportunities to join a team that I can help succeed, while learning how to navigate the US benefits and medical systems alongside my non-English-speaking parents and mentoring early-stage startup founders on the side.
2019 - 2020
Lead Operations Engineer
Cintra US
Austin, Texas
I was the lead engineer in the technical services department for a highway infrastructure firm overseeing a $9.1B+ portfolio of North American transportation infrastructure assets, developing cases for new public-private partnership (P3) projects, and driving innovation projects.
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Reporting directly to three senior executives, I worked with internal and external stakeholders across varying levels. I managed projects and created analyses for operations and strategic business development for Cintra's Technical Director, the President of Cintra Toll Services (Infrastructure Systems Division), and the Business Innovation Director.
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Some of my responsibilities included administering business accounts, designing process flows, cost modeling, and project management.​
2018 - 2019
Senior Operations & Maintenance Engineer
Cintra US - NTE Mobility Partners
Dallas - Fort Worth, Texas
​I headed the operations and maintenance team responsible over all roads, bridges, and buildings on the LBJ, NTE, and NTE 35W TEXpress Lanes public-private partnership (P3) highway projects in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
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I touched basically everything you could imagine related to operations and maintenance of a toll road facility. To name a few of my tasks: cost analyses, computer-based management systems, supervising pavement marking installations at midnight, revising procedural documents, and processing insurance claims for collision damages... I collaborated a lot with internal and external stakeholders to ensure smooth conduction of operations over 1000+ lane-miles worth of roadways.
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My sanity was preserved via teamwork with the 4 junior engineers and interns that I mentored on my team, in addition to the volunteer opportunities which I found extremely rewarding. These included STEM camps for local middle school students and a global corporate sustainability responsibility mission trip to Zimbabwe. In 2019, I was nominated for the Global Cintra Spirit Award and finished as runner-up for Employee of the Year across all of Cintra's corporate and portfolio offices.
2015 - 2018
Operations & Maintenance Engineer
Cintra US - NTE Mobility Partners
Dallas - Fort Worth, Texas
I learned how to do everything associated with operations and maintenance of a toll road facility x3 (for the LBJ, NTE, and NTE 35W TEXpress Lanes) as part of the initial engineering team managing the $6B+ projects' operational obligations. My main concerns were complying with contractual and shareholder expectations, ensuring driver safety and incident management, improving efficiency of operations, and sharing best practices for management of future highway infrastructure projects in Cintra's portfolio.
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This included digitalizing the roadway facility assets into the electronic maintenance management information system, designing costs models and business cases for corridor improvements and renewal works schedules, managing O&M-related key performance indicators, procuring and managing contractors, working with a global corporate team to define standardized procedures and lifecycle information flows, and transitioning teams from paper forms to electronic mobile platforms.
2014 - 2015
Technical Analyst
Cintra
Austin, Texas & Madrid, Spain
​I analyzed sets of traffic, revenue, and operations big data for proposals and operational projects. I created risk analysis and asset lifecycle cost models for operational and capital expenditures and fell in love with Excel while designing an availability payment model for the D4R7 Slovakia highway project proposal (€1.3bn, 2017 European PPP Deal of the Year).​
2014
Construction Manager
Bridges to Prosperity
Panama City, Panama
I oversaw construction of trail bridges like this one in rural communities in Panamá Oeste and Coclé regions from groundbreaking to inauguration, supervising construction, managing project finances, and coordinating with technical and administrative stakeholders located in different countries.
2013
Impact Investment Research Associate
Fundacion Progreso
Cochabamba, Bolivia
​I worked with the CEO of an impact investment fund, analyzing sociopolitical issues and opportunities for investment to help the Bottom of the Pyramid in Bolivia. My research centered around analyzing the quality of water resources and the water distribution system in the city of Cochabamba (famous for the movie También la Lluvia)​
2012
Construction Engineering Intern
Bridges to Prosperity
Kigali, Rwanda
I oversaw construction of trail bridges in rural communities and liaised with local public officials to develop strategic agreements for future projects.
2011
Summit Associate
The Aspen Institute - Global Institute on Culture and Society
Muscat, Oman
I helped plan and execute the inaugural Creative Arts World Summit presented in partnership with the Royal Opera House Muscat. I developed highlights section in summit materials with interviews of performers and distinguished summit attendees.
2011
Logistics and Marketing Analyst
The Royal Opera House Muscat
Muscat, Oman
I helped launch the first season of performances at the newly constructed Royal Opera House in Muscat (ROHM). I managed the logistical arrangements for all performers traveling to Muscat, coordinating with airlines, hotel, and agents to secure visa and travel accommodations. I also worked on the first edition of the ROHM's season catalogue, developing sections highlighting interviews with upcoming performers.
Other
I've also worked in a residential dining hall and in a library, as a paid choir singer, bussing at an Italian restaurant, bartending and catering, teaching Korean, teaching English, preparing business invoices, and maintaining hospital pharmacy inventories.
EDUCATION
2020 - 2022
Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree in Smart Cities and Communities (SMACCs)
MSc in Smart Cities and Communities
MSc in Mechanical Engineering, Energy Engineering Specialization
Edinburgh, UK | Mons, Belgium | Bilbao, Spain | Barcelona, Spain
Studied smart grids, building energy efficiency, renewable energy technology and policy, and urban planning, graduated summa cum laude.
Won Citython Lublin 2021, presented at and was published in proceedings of the IV Ibero-American Congress of Smart Cities, won SMACCs program Climatethon 2022, played Ultimate Frisbee in tournaments around Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Ireland, won placement at a startup incubator and built a startup for 6 months.
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Capstone Thesis: "Spatiotemporal Framework for Assessing Urban Performance for Smart Cities"
2010 - 2014
Princeton University
BSE in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Minor in Values and Public Life
Princeton, New Jersey
Studied engineering and ethics, graduated cum laude.
Captained the club Ultimate Frisbee team, spent a semester on exchange in Santander, Spain, danced with Sympoh Breakdancing Crew, bartended for the Formal Services Agency, co-founded an acapella group, advocated for criminal justice with Students for Prison Education and Reform, and tutored incarcerated individuals.
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Senior Thesis: "Effects of Ammonium Phosphate as a
Consolidating Agent on Cementitious Surfaces"
Awarded achievement award of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Concrete Institute
2008 - 2010
United World College - USA
International Baccalaureate
Montezuma, New Mexico
Dormitory residential advisor, wilderness First Aid and orienteering leader, theater and events lighting crew head, pottery club founder, festival chorale singer, campus store shift manager
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
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Global Employee of the Year Finalist (2019)
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Launched a grant program (2021) and professional mentorship program (2022) to help increase diversity in the infrastructure sector
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Played for Team Colombia in Worlds Masters Ultimate Club Championships (2022)