HDR Transportation Young Professionals Building Better Communities, One Project at a Time

2023 ENR Regional Top Young Professionals Honored for their Expertise, Impact and Talent

Whether mentoring others, leading region-transforming projects or incorporating new perspectives into infrastructure planning, our recently honored Top Young Professionals are making a lasting mark in the communities they serve.

Six of our transportation experts were named Top Young Professionals for 2023 by Engineering News-Record’s regional publications. The competitive program honors individuals under 40 years old in each region who have shown extraordinary leadership and capability. Our transportation-focused honorees come from across the U.S. and represent ENR Midwest, ENR New York, ENR Southwest, ENR Northwest and ENR California. One other employee, wastewater project manager Coralynn Revis, was also honored.

Many in the group have made a point of seeking out the next generation of transportation leaders and supporting others who may be underrepresented in the infrastructure industry. Molly Larson, for example, has advocated for employees to bring their whole selves to work by helping to organize our global Allies Employee Network Group. And Kristen Keifer has dedicated significant time to introducing science and engineering to girls in her community.

All were chosen for this latest honor by a diverse group of industry leaders and previous winners, who judged them on three primary criteria: industry experience and education, career and industry leadership, and community service and involvement. Two of those honored — Ryan Bauman and Sanjay Paul — have also been named to the national Top 20 Under 40 list.

The group has moved forward some of the most complex projects in their communities while managing costs and implementing the latest technology. Known within our company and by our clients as proven performers, they exemplify the best employees and regularly improve the custom-fit teams they work with.

Read more about each of these transportation leaders:

Ryan Bauman, Transit Section Manager; St. Louis Park, Minnesota; ENR Midwest

​A rail and transit study abroad course in Finland during school inspired Ryan to design public transit systems that integrated best practices from communities around the world. That passion for public transportation’s ability to improve and reshape/ communities has since taken him around the world. He has touched over 45 transit projects across 27 states, 4 countries and 2 continents.

Ryan takes pride in sharing ideas throughout the industry and staying at the forefront of emerging trends, including advanced technologies, innovative design and equitable solutions.

In addition to technical expertise, Ryan is committed to leading others well. As part of his involvement in the Emerging Leaders program of the American Public Transportation Association, Ryan and a small team researched how to keep employees engaged and developed recommendations for fellow leaders on how to effectively lead.

Elizabeth Fleming, Alternative Delivery Resource Manager; New York, New York; ENR New York

As the alternative delivery resources manager for our transportation program, Elizabeth deftly navigates complex projects to deliver outstanding results within rigorous budget, schedule and safety requirements.

Pulling from her construction and civil engineering degrees as well as her extensive work experience, Elizabeth thrives in dynamic alternative delivery project environments that bring all project stakeholders to the table and allow her to serve as an effective conduit of information for all parties. Working on some of the biggest projects in the New York area including the Bayonne Bridge and the Kew Gardens Interchange, she consistently builds a communicative and collaborative team culture that serves to increase productivity and build agreement.

Kristen Elise Keifer, Roadway Lead; Anchorage, Alaska; ENR Northwest

An expert in project delivery, Kristen served as our project manager responding to a 2018 $7.1 million earthquake program for the Alaska DOT&PF that required tracking damages, inspections, and repairs at more than 250 sites across south-central Alaska. Her successful management of multiple teams on an aggressive schedule led to a project cataloguing system that is now a model for emergency response management on other disaster programs. She was also instrumental in the development of the Alaska DOT&PF’s first emergency funding manual.

In addition to serving as our roadway lead in Alaska, Kristen is a very active volunteer and mentor for young girls and women interested in engineering careers. Kristen volunteers for a local SMART Girls Rock! program to discuss the opportunities and challenges of being a woman in the transportation engineering industry. And she participates in the local Kids2College and “I Know I Can” programs, which reach out to disadvantaged/lower income elementary schools to start a dialogue about higher education and career planning.

Molly Larson, Design Manager; Seattle, Washington; ENR Northwest

As an engineer, Molly’s superpower is to combine her technical understanding with communication prowess. Her ability to support and facilitate technical conversations with diverse stakeholders has been instrumental on her projects. Those include work on the Federal Way Link Extension in Seattle and serving as design manager for the Tacoma Dome Link Extension project, a 10.5-mile light rail project.

She is a passionate advocate for the LGBTQ+ community since her time as an undergraduate at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Following her move to Seattle, she has advocated for employees to bring their whole selves to work by helping to organize our global Allies Employee Network Group and assisting with local Pride events within her office.

Kim Magee, Transit Section Manager; San Diego, California; ENR California

Kim oversees the San Diego transit team of 20 professionals and manages one of San Diego’s largest rail projects to date, the San Diego Regional Rail Corridor Alternative Alignment and Improvements Study, which aims to transform the way commuters travel to, from and within San Diego.

Kim manages junior engineers who, like her, often begin their career with no rail background. Very few colleges and universities offer rail engineering courses, making it hard to find young professionals to replace retiring rail engineers. Kim’s passion has inspired dozens of aspiring engineers in San Diego to pursue a career in transit. Through her mentorship, engineers have been exposed to and given the opportunity to design heavy rail and transit projects throughout North America.

Sanjay Paul, Desert Southwest Area Traffic Business Class Leader; Albuquerque, New Mexico; ENR Southwest

Sanjay’s traffic engineering and transportation planning expertise have contributed to numerous successful planning and designing projects to address emerging transportation issues across the Southwest U.S. He helps clients understand and navigate the leading edge of technology, predictive safety analyses, developing out of the box solutions as well as securing funding to adopt smart mobility. He has also been involved in developing several manuals and guides for transportation engineering practices. He was recognized by the Institute of Transportation Engineers with the National Transportation Safety Council Award.

Sanjay regularly takes time to mentor and support younger engineers and planners. And as a leader in local industry organizations such as Intelligent Transportation Society Arizona and Arizona ITE, he plays critical role to expand interest in science and engineering careers. He is a past-president of ITS Arizona, and currently serving as an advisor to the ITS Arizona Board of Directors, as the membership chair for the Arizona ITE, and as a transportation commissioner to the City of Phoenix appointed by the mayor.