Professional Profile: Jennifer Marks - 2017

Length of employment:  25 years

What was your first position/job in the A/E/C Industry? I was hired as a land surveyor at a small company in Madison Wisconsin. I was doing hand drafting and when it got slow, I went out with the field crews and started learning surveying.

Why and/or how did you decide on the A/E/C Industry? This was a bit by chance. I was a geology major in college and had a minor in cartography…making maps. My first job got me excited about land surveying and I was able to pull together my map making skills, math ability, and love of history into one profession. I’ve stayed with it ever since.

What projects have you participated on? I have had the opportunity to work on a lot of exciting projects involving our region’s infrastructure improvements including the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge, Middletown to Norwalk Transmission lines, Amtrak Upgrades on the New Haven to Springfield line, and many private developments such as Jordan’s Furniture, Whole Foods and Costco Wholesale. Earlier in my career, I worked on a project for FEMA performing stream studies throughout Connecticut, which took me to some very remote (and beautiful) areas of the state.

Advice/Keys to success:  Treat others as you would want to be treated, be flexible and look for opportunities along the way, be proactive for yourself.