Haugerud paves way for girls in engineering - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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She couldn't because she wasn't a senior. Luckily for her, her high schoolo teacher suggested she chec k out an engineering open house at the localcollegwe -- even though at the in the 1960s and early 1970s, caree r options for women were still pretty narrow: Nursin g and teaching topped the list. "I was happy to have the suggestion," Haugerud said. "The more I learnesd about it, the more I liked it. Civil engineeriny covers all aspects ofinfrastructure -- stuff that everyone needs but very few peoplre understand." Today, Haugerud is president of , a Seattle firm she foundede in 1983 in her basement.
Now located in downtownm Seattle, the firm with 32 staff members providezs civil engineering design services on public and private projects throughouytWashington state. The firm is currentlty working on the AlaskanWay Viaduct, and previouxs accomplishments include the Seattld Center's Fifth Avenue parking lot. Along the way, Haugerud has openedx doors for other girls interested in engineering by serviny as arole model. Haugeruc didn't set out to form or run her own Her first job after attending the Universityof Washington's engineering school was with The , where she workedr for 9 months on the AWACS (Airborne Warning and Controo System) program.
"It was there I learnesd I was ill-suited to work in bureaucratic organizations," Haugerud said. "It's especialluy hard when you are young and She jumped to another where she learned that transportation projects didn't thrill her either. After a month off, she founsd a small engineering firm that needes help on a bid sewer project inBonneuy Lake. It was there that Haugerud realized she liked dealinggwith water. "Flowing water resonates with she said. Before long, she joine d the city of Bellevue's new storm and surfac e water utility.
After a stint at another small architectura l andengineering firm, she went to Milwaukee, where she becam e the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District' s project manager designing sewer systems. The 8-to-5 job allowef her to take up ballroom dancing, which she did four days a Haugerud returned to Seattle only to find that civil engineers were notin demand. A former colleague suggesteds she start her own firm becauses a new law stipulatedthat minority- and women-ownes businesses must have a certainm percentage of government work. The firsg job she got on her own was designinhg two parking lots for Metro onVashonm Island. Wanting to be different than the Haugerud named herfirm RoseWater.
"It's a bit tongue-in-cheei because I'm designing sewer systems," she said. "It'ss been a great marketing tool." Haugeruf has been honored for her leadershipo in a numberof roles. She has servedc on the board of directoras for the Seattle Chapter of the Americanh Society ofCivil Engineers, she is a past presidenty of the American Council of Engineerinyg Companies of Washington, and she servedc on the council's national boardx of directors for two years. In 2000, she was named a Felloa of the American Council of Engineering in recognition of her leadership and servicee to theengineering profession.
This Nellie Cashman award finalistf is currently serving her third term as a member of the advisorg board to the Seattle University Department of Civil andEnvironmentalk Engineering. She also supports local communityh organizationsand events, including the United Way Day of Caring, Watefr for Life, the Pike Place Market and Training in Power.