Kimberly Kelsey
TYLin Connection Builders

When H2Opportunity Knocks

When H2Opportunity Knocks

Three key pillars — Approachable People,  Proven Capabilities, and Global Experience — are the foundation of the TYLin brand and the reason for our success. 

Meet Kimberly Kelsey, PE, PMP, our Water Sector Manager. Kimberly is a licensed professional mechanical engineer and certified Project Management Professional and has 3 decades of experience in engineering and managing municipal planning, design and construction projects. She has extensive experience in project and program management, wastewater facilities planning, predesign and design, wastewater process mechanical engineering, waste-to-energy projects and sustainability, business consulting, asset management, and construction services. 

What or who inspired your pursuit of a career in water engineering?

My grandfather encouraged me to become an engineer. He was a mechanical engineer and, after a successful manufacturing career, started his own consulting firm, traveling around the world to help local communities. He took an interest in my studies and showed me what an exciting and diverse career engineering could be and how it could be employed to make a better tomorrow possible for the stakeholders in the communities we serve.

What keeps you motivated at this point in your career?

I am a problem solver, and digging in to find solutions to the diverse challenges in the water and wastewater areas is what keeps me going. I am also passionate about helping people — whether young engineers or clients — find their way, address a project challenge or achieve a career goal. We all need mentors and advocates, and this is another way for me to give back.     

What industry trend will impact your field the most significantly in the next decade? 

 The industry is increasingly focused on nutrient and other contaminant reduction requirements in wastewater effluent to help protect the environment. These requirements are becoming more and more stringent and less and less affordable. The challenge is how to achieve the end goal of clean water while facilitating affordability.

What impact do you hope to make in the next five years of your career?   

I am not focused on a specific position or status. My passions are finding solutions to our most pressing problems and building teams. I hope to continue to be challenged in both of these areas and to contribute to ongoing improvements for TYLin and for our industry.

If provided $1M investment to solve a major challenge within water engineering, what problem would you tackle?

I would invest in creating what I call a ‘mentoring space’ for developing professionals. The engineering field is facing a workforce gap: more and more people are retiring, but there are not enough people moving into the industry. I think $1M would be a nice investment in time and resources to focus on workforce development needs and invest in our industry’s future leaders.

What has been the defining moment of your experience at TYLin?

I’ve been with TYLin for a short time, but I’d say that my defining moment so far has been winning and serving as deputy program manager on the $5 billion King County CSO (Combined Sewer Overflow) Program[L1] . That is what has been keeping me busy lately.

What have been the skills/strengths that have helped you succeed most in your career thus far?

Technical aptitude is the price of admission, but I think what’s helped me in my career are the people and communication skills that I’ve developed. Some refer to these as “soft skills,” implying they are secondary to others. I think they are just as critical to a person’s success. Being able to adapt and interact with people with different backgrounds or styles has certainly helped me.  

What do you enjoy most about working at TYLin?

The people. Working with the diverse, supportive, and collaborative people in the Water Sector and elsewhere within TYLin has been extremely gratifying.

A year ago, TYLin unveiled a new brand position – Connecting people, places and ideas. How does this apply to the work you do?

TYLin’s position is exactly what I do, particularly as it relates to building connections between TYLin’s vast resources and our clients. I also think the position applies to building a professional network of colleagues, keeping in contact with them, and leveraging them as appropriate to address the challenges we all face.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to others about their careers?

Be opportunistic. It’s great to have career goals that you work towards, but be ready to pivot if an unexpected opportunity presents itself to you.