Join WEPAN on Wednesday, March 29 at 12:00pm ET as our distinguished panelists discuss navigating careers in transportation. Scroll down to view speaker bios!
The WEPAN Women Engineers Webinar Series continues our tradition of highlighting women engineers in different disciplines and across sectors. We encourage engineering students and professionals, WIE/WISE/MEP program staff, and advocates for women engineers to join us.
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As HDR’s Transportation Program Management Director, Erin N. Slayton, Vice President, has extensive experience in alternative delivery, business development and cross-sector engagement. Her 22-year tenure in the industry has given her the opportunity to establish trust and respect that creates healthy professional environments among her client and project teams. Erin leverages HDR’s wide range of services, coordinating staffing and service excellence. Her experience working on complex, multi-billion-dollar programs across North America allows her to guide teams on the delivery of holistic, value-added services throughout the project lifecycle.
A licensed Professional Engineer in California, Washington, Arizona and South Carolina, Erin is also a Designated Design-Build Professional®, an Envision™ Sustainability Professional and Vice Chair of the Civil Engineering Advisory Board at The Citadel. Erin is often sought out by leaders across the industry for her insight, knowledge and participation in areas around inclusion, diversity and equity. She formerly chaired HDR’s Transportation Inclusion Diversity and Equity Committee and recently held regional leadership positions in the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Erin serves on the International Board of Directors for Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), and is a proud charter member of the WTS-SC chapter.
Jessica Rich has a B. S. in Civil Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University and a M. S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Jessica joined the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 2003 as a Safety Engineer. For 17 years, she worked for the FHWA Tennessee Division where her responsibilities included implementation of the Tennessee Strategic Highway Safety Plan and the Highway Safety Improvement Program focusing on improving crash data, reducing roadway departures, improving safety at intersections and in work zones and improving safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. In 2021, Jessica was recognized as FHWA Safety Engineer of the Year. In August of 2022, Jessica accepted a new position within the Federal Highway Administration as a program manager for the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program, a discretionary grants program, which recently awarded $800 million to local governments for projects aimed at improving road safety and reducing traffic fatalities.
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Natalie is an experienced Project Manager and NEPA practitioner with 19 plus years of experience managing transportation projects in the project development phase. Natalie has managed a team of entry level to junior level planners as the Raleigh Planning Lead in the North Carolina Planning and Environmental Group. Natalie has prepared and managed the preparation of over 100 environmental documents with varying degrees of complexity throughout her career. Her responsibilities include conducting public meetings, preparing environmental documents, coordinating with MPO/RPO & local government, coordination with environmental agencies, coordination with regulatory agencies, developing mapping, contract management, and collaborating with engineers to research, analyze, or resolve complex transportation design issues.
Her project experience includes bridge replacements with bicycle and pedestrian accommodations, interchange improvements, intersection improvements, and interstate widenings. She is familiar with NCDOT’s merger process that seeks to streamline project delivery by gaining concurrence from an interagency group at key milestones in the planning phase. Prior to joining the private sector, Natalie spent 12 years at the North Carolina Department of Transportation where she prepared and managed the preparation of environmental documents. Natalie Lockhart has gained knowledge in NEPA working with NCDOT in the Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch. Natalie has also assisted in winning contracts from NCDOT that total up to $10M in planning and design on calls that require NEPA environmental documents. Natalie has earned a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University.
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