2017 MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS
Quarter 1
Eileen Vélez-Vega
Kimley Horn Puerto Rico, LLC
Assistant Vice President
Recognized by Airport Business in its 2015 40 Under 40 list, a love of aviation runs in Eileen Vélez-Vega’s family.
Biography
Eileen M. Vélez‐Vega is Assistant Vice President and one of the managing partners of Kimley‐Horn Puerto Rico, LLC. She personally contributed to the effort of establishing this subsidiary, which is one of the first international offices established by Kimley‐Horn and Associates, Inc.
Previously, Eileen was an aviation project manager in the West Palm Beach, FL, office in the design of airport infrastructure for both commercial and general aviation airports and has published multiple papers on pavement rehabilitation. Currently she manages the Puerto Rico office. Her main practice continues to be aviation and she is currently the consultant for the Puerto Rico Ports Authority and Aerostar Airport Holdings, LLC, which operates the recently privatized San Juan International Airport. She also manages land development projects for private retail projects.
Eileen received her M.S. in Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University and her B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. Prior to joining Kimley‐Horn, she was a research civil engineer in the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg, MS.
YOUR STORY – HOW DID YOU GET INSPIRED TO WORK IN AVIATION?
My love for aviation began with my mother, who in the 1960s and 70s wanted to be an airline flight attendant for Pan Am. Though my mother wasn't able to pursue her dream, she always told me about her love for airports and travel. This fostered a love for aviation in me and it grew with travel opportunities during high school and internships in college.
Growing up in Puerto Rico also created a curiosity about the world around me and how to connect through travel. My first aviation-type experience was during NASA Space Camp in 1996 and it furthered my interests in all aviation- and space-related fields. As an engineering student at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, I wanted to combine civil engineering with aviation and I participated in undergraduate research and co-op programs at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in the Advanced Projects office.
Upon graduation, I was given the opportunity to work for the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) as a research engineer in the Airfields and Pavements Branch. At ERDC, I worked as a young professional in the stabilization of unsurfaced airfields and concrete rubberization for military airport projects.
I also got involved with the ASCE Transportation and Development Institute’s Airfield Pavements Committee and TRB Technical committees. These experiences sealed my passion for aviation and I’ve been in the industry for 14 years.
WHAT ARE CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED ALONG THE WAY?
The main challenges in my career have been related to breaking stereotypes and earning my respect in the industry. The main limiting obstacles are first created in our own minds and I have been fortunate to have a strong education background combined with good mentors and a determined attitude. This has built my confidence in my skills as an engineer and a business manager which helps eliminate self-doubt.
A few years ago, I went through the biggest challenge in my life involving my health and having been obligated to put my career on hold so I could focus on my recovery. Today, I am a two-time cancer survivor and I’ve been in remission for almost five years. Overcoming this challenge helped me prioritize my life and focus on building a healthier lifestyle which included my career.
Success is different for everyone but I take pride in building my career and strong reputation which have been influenced by good communication and taking measured risks. Taking the chance of moving to Puerto Rico and establishing the Kimley-Horn office has been another big challenge and success in my career. My work leading the Puerto Rico office is just beginning and the future is open with opportunities. My success in the Aviation field has also been linked to having a supportive employer both at the USACE and Kimley-Horn.
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FOR OTHER YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN AVIATION?
Aviation is such a unique field and I consider it a niche career, so for all those young professionals just getting started, find your passion within aviation and become an expert in your field. I always recommend new engineers to learn something from each discipline and the same applies to aviation. Do your research and try different areas of aviation either planning, safety, policy, design, construction, etc. This will only increase your value as an aviation professional and your contribution will be greater to your organization.
Aviation needs more young professionals and there are so many diverse opportunities available. Getting involved in professional organizations is crucial to create our network and learn what is going on in the industry. It’s also a great way to explore other areas of aviation and develop your leadership style. It’s important to get out of our comfort zone and put ourselves out in the field to build our confidence, our careers and understand what we want to achieve in the profession.
One of the best pieces of advice I received was, “First learn how to be a good engineer and then you’ll be a great project manager so you can then market your business”. It’s important to go through the steps in our careers without rushing through any phase so we truly learn how to lead an organization and understand that we will always have something new to learn. It’s also important to request, and to be able to accept, feedback to continue to grow. I also recommend learning a new language, reading, volunteering in your community, and having a fun hobby so you always have something interesting to talk about!
Quarter 2
Matt Beamer
Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Senior Professional
Biography
I was born and raised in Wyoming, the oldest of four kids. After high school, I decided to head north and studied math and French at Montana State University. I had no idea what I wanted to do; I just knew I liked math and French! After a semester in a graduate program in math, I found at least one thing that I didn't want to do and set sail for two years in the Peace Corps in Rwanda, where I taught math and English to middle school and high school students in a small village.
While I was there, trying to figure out what I would do next, I looked around and decided that transportation would be interesting to study, given the many transportation problems that Rwanda and many other developing countries face. So when I returned to the U.S., I enrolled in a graduate program in transportation engineering at Northwestern University.
YOUR STORY – HOW DID YOU GET INSPIRED TO WORK IN AVIATION?
There were two times growing up that I remember aviation striking me as a particularly interesting career. The first time was actually my first flight, which I didn't take until my thirteenth birthday, when my grandpa took me out to the local airport and had a flight instructor take me up in a Cessna. I got to fly the plane a little and help with the landing, and I thought that was really cool.
The second memory that stands out is my first international flight. I went to London with my family, and I loved everything about the trip, getting to the airport, the security checkpoint, the gate hold room, the movies on the flight, all of it. I still enjoy going to the airport and flying.
WHAT ARE CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED ALONG THE WAY?
I am still relatively new to the industry, but a continuous challenge is how complicated airports are. I am always struck by how many different aspects need to work for the whole entity to work.
On top of the pure functionality issues like having enough gates or enough check-in desks, there are so many varied interests and conflicting views on what's best for an airport. It can make it very challenging to find a solution that everyone can support. I think one way I've helped address this challenge is to try to stay very organized in my work. It's a work in progress.
THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY - WHERE DO YOU SEE IT?
I think air travel will continue to increase, especially internationally, as more people enter the global middle class. I think there will continue to be more segmentation in airline offerings, with low-cost, no-frills products for the most price sensitive travelers and super premium products for those who are willing to pay for them.
I also think airports, not just airlines, will begin to offer more segmented products to increase revenue, more like they already do with things such as parking.
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FOR OTHER YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN AVIATION?
I think it's very important to stay up-to-date on industry trends. Whatever one's interest in aviation, I think identifying sources that provide relevant information about that topic and making sure to regularly access them and learn about trends is a relatively easy way to get a good grasp on a lot of the issues quickly and begin to build a good foundation for future work in the industry.
Quarter 3
Elham Boozarjomehri
Boeing Vancouver
An interest in Newtonian physics leads to a career in aviation.
Biography
I am a licensed Professional Engineer with a master's degree in transportation engineering and a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering.
For the past four years, I have been a Consulting Analyst at Boeing Vancouver, actively working towards my goal of becoming a leader in airline, airport, and air navigation operations analysis. Here I have worked on multiple projects to develop successful models and tools based on aviation-related data and conducted numerous airline disruption analyses. I represent our group in the Boeing SWIM Community of Practice and the Boeing Critical Thinking Group and act as the business point of contact for the collaboration between Boeing Vancouver and the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Centre of Operations Excellence.
Before joining Boeing, I worked as a Consultant with CH2M HILL. I conducted data analysis focused on demand and revenue forecasting for several high profile transport investment schemes within Canada and the United States. Before that, I collaborated with UBC’s Sustainable Transport Safety Research Lab, introducing the idea of revitalizing short-line railways in Canada. I presented a business case for an electric high-speed railway in Okanagan, British Columbia.
I have extensive experience actively engaging in the aviation industry. This is demonstrated by my acceptance onto the US National Research Council TRB’s Aviation committees as a standing member, my involvement with the Vancouver Board of Trade and the relationships I have built with different aerospace data providers and airline operators.
YOUR STORY – HOW DID YOU GET INSPIRED TO WORK IN AVIATION?
At first, it was the beauty of Newtonian physics that inspired me to study engineering. I am still fascinated with the complexity of the air navigation eco-system. I strive to learn more about the rules governing this system so I can help to make it more efficient.
WHAT ARE CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED ALONG THE WAY?
I am still relatively new to the industry, but a continuous challenge is how complicated airports are. I am always struck by how many different aspects need to work for the whole entity to work.
On top of the pure functionality issues like having enough gates or enough check-in desks, there are so many varied interests and conflicting views on what's best for an airport. It can make it very challenging to find a solution that everyone can support. I think one way I've helped address this challenge is to try to stay very organized in my work. It's a work in progress.
THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY - WHERE DO YOU SEE IT?
There have been too many challenges to name and as for the successes, I have not yet won my Nobel Prize so I will get back to you in 40 years or so. Joking aside, I feel I have been very lucky to work with great advisors along the way. Not only have they given me opportunities to work on super interesting problems, but they also taught me how to overcome challenges and deliver successful projects.
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FOR OTHER YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN AVIATION?
Your career is non-linear!
Quarter 4
Gaël Le Bris
WSP USA, Inc.
Senior Aviation Planner
International experience and a passion for collaboration are hallmarks of Mr. Le Bris’s nascent career.
Biography
I am a Senior Aviation Planner with WSP USA. I hold two master’s degrees, in aviation engineering and in airport management and development.
During my seven years of practice, I have built a multidisciplinary approach for my job. I am a proud “planginer”: planner, engineer, and manager. I aim to deliver state-of-the-art results when working on a project, bringing value added experience from various airports along with innovation. I believe this approach must be open. More than in any other industry, we must share and learn from each other if we want to succeed in being increasingly safer and with a more robust performance.
We cannot pretend to anticipate and experience everything alone, and that is why being involved with professional organizations and work groups is important to me. Very early on in my career, I looked forward to being involved with Transportation Research Board. I am also a part of other professional groups, such as the Infrastructure Work group of The French-Speaking Airports or the European Plan for the Prevention of Runway Incursions V3 (EAPPRI V3).
I have dedicated time to conducting research in airport engineering and aviation safety. For instance, I worked on the development of a temporary airfield information signage with the FAA’s Airport Construction Advisory Council (ACAC). My research paper on this six-year project has just been published in the Transportation Research Record No. 2626.
YOUR STORY – HOW DID YOU GET INSPIRED TO WORK IN AVIATION?
I completed my master’s thesis with Groupe ADP on the development of the aircraft centralized deicing system at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport – a top ten worldwide hub airport. That year, the European aviation system faced perhaps one of its most critical crises, a historic continental snowstorm. A few days after I delivered my study, I was then offered the position of Airside Development Manager.
My role at CDG was to manage airside development projects, conduct related aviation safety risk management processes (SRM), strategically coordinate any modifications of the infrastructure or operating conditions with stakeholders, as well as perform engineering, planning and financial studies. What a task for a young aviation professional looking for high intensity challenges!
A particularity of CDG is that I was also part-time Airside Operations Manager, performing periods of duty under an Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) organization with the ATC Tower and the air carriers.
After seven years working in France, my wife and I moved back home to the states. I left Groupe ADP in December 2016, and in January 2017 I joined WSP USA – formerly known as WSP|Parsons Brinkerhoff – as Senior Aviation Planner, based in Raleigh, North Carolina.
I have always been fascinated with aviation. I decided to join the airport industry when I realized all the diversity this branch of the industry offered. You are constantly facing complex problems at the intersection of multiple disciplines – civil and aviation engineering, airport operations, finance, public policy, etc. It is also one of the few industries where you can embrace a highly flexible career if you want, experiencing many different jobs in one field.
Another aspect that I particularly like in aviation is the challenging and collaborative characteristics. First, failure is not an option because that it would mean endangering life and putting high value assets at risk. Second, we must work together to succeed.
WHAT ARE CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED ALONG THE WAY?
When I took my position back in March 2011, my mission was clear: implement before December 2015 the most ambitious airfield capital improvement program in the history of Paris-CDG.
For the first time, we were going to conduct construction projects everywhere on the airside. Some of these projects were critical from an aviation operations perspective, with, for instance, two months of operations with a temporarily shortened runway in 2012. We were planning to boldly go where no one had gone before in airfield development. To succeed, we had to reinvent ourselves, make us collectively robust for absorbing these changes with the stakeholders, and resilient for finding new ways to work without endangering safety and capacity.
And we did it! We went through these five years and more, without a serious incident or throughput breakdown. The “genuine idea” was to bring Airport Collaborative Decision-Making (A-CDM) philosophy into project management, and to innovate in all directions for introducing new practices in airport engineering as well as operational safety during construction. Many of these best practices have been promoted across the industry and adopted by other airports.
Before leaving CDG, I also had the chance to prepare the planning study of the Roadmap CDM@CDG 2020+, “a local NextGen” by itself for enhancing safety, capacity, operational robustness and sustainability through various initiatives in procedures, organization, infrastructures and equipment.
I am now on the consultancy side with WSP USA working on very different projects for clients ranging from small GA facilities to large hub airports, and including State DOT and other divisions of our group, bringing different types of challenges and versatility, which it is all very exciting, and a continuation of what I encountered in my previous position.
THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY - WHERE DO YOU SEE IT?
Skyrocketing for decades and decades! Our industry has the extraordinary resilience to face crises. While North America and Europe become more mature markets with still high growth rates, commercial aviation is in an astonishing ascent phase in most of the rest of the world. This is not without raising questions on our ability to accommodate this growth in a safe and sustainable way. Both sides of the Northern Atlantic Ocean shall continue to lead the way, especially with their advanced Air Traffic Management (ATM) modernization program NextGen and SESAR.
The future of airports will be in the age of disruption and diversity. On the airport landside, we already see the rise of Transportation Network Company (TNC) (Uber, Lyft, and more). Autonomous vehicles, and even more innovative modes such as drone-taxis and hyperloop at some airports, will be next. In the terminal side, passengers expect quick, efficient processes as well as a personalized experience from curbside to gate, making flying commercially as easy as travelling by train – which may be contradictory with growing security threats requiring strengthened policies. On the airside, larger aircraft bring new business opportunities along with technical and operational challenges.
New users such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and commercial spacecraft are other game-changers. We should not underestimate the potential impact of these new players. The U.S. is largely ahead in supporting these blooming industries with appropriate policies and regulatory frameworks.
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FOR OTHER YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN AVIATION?
Do not be intimidated by “field work”. If you have the opportunity and want to embrace challenges, choose first a position in operations management. This is where you are going to learn how our industry works. You will experience the greatness of the aviation community members and you will build leadership through challenge. I will always appreciate the time I spent with my colleagues and our partners at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, working on preventing or mitigating adverse impacts on the operations. Some of those experiences were tough, but I have learnt priceless lessons and lived unforgettable moments.