Pennoni’s Employee Spotlight series gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the talented individuals who make our company thrive. Each month, we highlight a team member’s journey, their passion for engineering and innovation, and the unique impact they’re making at Pennoni.
This month, we’re featuring Mary Pitman, PE, project manager in our Chantilly, VA office. Mary has more than a decade of experience in the site development field. She received her B.S. in civil engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and her M.S. in civil and environmental engineering from University of Wisconsin, researching Customer Perception of Color Caused by Iron and Manganese and Modeling of Turbidity Resuspension in a Drinking Water System. Bouncing around various areas of the United States, Mary lived in South Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin and California before settling in the Northern Virginia area, where she has been for the last 10 years.
Mary has been involved with technical and supervisory aspects of planning/feasibility, design, and preparation of rezoning and construction plans as well as permitting and construction support. She is active in several professional organizations and currently serves as vice president of the Prince William Chapter of Northern Virginia Building Industry Association and is also a member of the professional development committee for Commercial Real Estate Women.
As a project manager in our civil/site group, what types of projects energize you the most, and what do you find most rewarding about your work?
I’ve found that I really like helping people and the projects that energize me the most are the ones where the client is the end user and might need a bit more handholding. No judgement! The land development process is overwhelming, intricate, and region-specific. This is my day job but it’s not theirs. I find it very rewarding to help guide others through the process. But let’s be real – the best part of being a civil is getting to annoy your friends and family by pointing out any site you’ve helped design.
You joined Pennoni through an acquisition. What was the transition like for you, and how has being part of a larger firm influenced your professional journey?
What I remember most from the transition was the paperwork. Ha! Being part of a larger company affords us more resources, and that includes the ability to invest in their people even when it doesn’t have a direct, immediate benefit. Pennoni has been very supportive of my non-production work and general professional development. There are more than a few experiences I know I wouldn’t have had without their support.
You’re actively involved with the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association. Why is it important to stay engaged with industry organizations, and how has that shaped your career?
I’ve moved around more than the average person and one thing I’ve made a concerted effort towards is community engagement. I remember reading a statistic that it takes three years to form a decent social network. And as someone who has started new networks a few times in my life, I can attest to that timeframe. So, for selfish reasons, I truncated those three years by joining and getting involved in organizations, including professional/industry groups. In fact, I remember asking where I could get involved when I interviewed for my current job!
Joining orgs like NVBIA and CREW accelerated the process of familiarizing myself with the region while also forming connections and friendships that have added greatly to my life. You don’t know what you don’t know. Being involved in professional associations has been a great aid in contextualizing the work I do with broader industry and regulatory trends and has exposed me to facets of land development that I had little knowledge of. Whether it be professional, activism, or social, being a member of an organization connects you with others. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts and I firmly believe I’m a better engineer because of my involvement in these associations and have had a greater impact by contributing to a collaborative effort.
Additionally, housing fairness and affordability is a soapbox issue for me and my work with NVBIA, specifically, has given me an avenue to contribute in my own small way towards increasing the housing supply. Housing is such a keystone for stability and I want that for everyone. It’s hard to aspire to much when you’re focused on the immediate needs of today. It’s hard to focus on school when you’re panicking about groceries. It’s hard to get a better job if you can’t afford to move. It’s hard to start your life’s foundation if high housing costs mean you have no bricks left to build with. It’s hard to get out of a bad relationship if you need two incomes to get by. Sure life is hard and unfair and capricious but I’m not going to be the reason it’s that way!
What advice would you give to young engineers who are just starting out in the A/E/C field?
Get involved and ask questions! When you’re young, you usually have less commitments and this is a great time to expose yourself to as many things, ideas, and people as possible. Knowledge is a tool and even if you don’t have certain factoids cemented into your brain, knowing where to look, who to talk to, what project had a similar issue, etc, is incredibly valuable. From a career trajectory point of view, it also benefits you to have working knowledge of the A/E/C field beyond your specific job description. It helps being able to compare notes and you never know what might ping and spark an interest or what connection will have an impact. Dip your toes in things that interest you and see where the ripple effects go.
What’s something about the culture at Pennoni that makes it a great place to grow and collaborate?
As I mentioned above, I greatly appreciate the time and resources Pennoni provides for training and professional development. Additionally, the network of Pennoni employees who run the full gamut of experience and expertise is invaluable. I have 100% benefitted from being able to bug a structural engineer on slab design or have an electrical engineer review conduit notes on a site plan. Even when people are busy, there’s an underlying willingness to provide support in some capacity which fosters a comfort level to reach out and tap into those resources. As has apparently been the theme for a lot of my responses, we’re better as a whole. I’m better because of the people around me.
From Mary’s manager, Diana Milian, PE, office director in Pennoni’s Chantilly, VA office: “It’s been a real privilege to watch Mary grow into the role she’s in today. She brings a rare mix of technical skill and strong communication, and people genuinely enjoy working with her – for good reason. She cares about the success of the team and the company in a way that’s hard to teach. I’ve had the chance to work closely with her over the years, and I’m proud to have been part of her journey. She’s taken on new challenges, embraced the business side of engineering, and continues to lead by example. Outside of Pennoni, she also serves as Vice President of the Prince William County chapter of NVBIA – just one more way she shows her commitment to making a positive impact in the building industry and the community.”