Kristina Ramirez: City Engineer @ the City of Harker Heights, TX

Joseph Blackman introduced Kristina Ramirez, the City Engineer at Harker Heights, Texas, to discuss her diverse responsibilities, which include managing capital improvement projects (CIP), ensuring compliance for development plans, and prioritizing public communication and transparency. Kristina highlighted that a city engineer's essential skill sets are communication, active listening, and bridging technical knowledge with field realities, sharing that public interaction is vital for their small public works department. The discussion also covered Kristinas non-traditional career path, her transition from the private to the public sector, the use of multiple resources for tracking federal and state regulations, and the value of professional organizations like APWA for networking and professional development, with a focus on encouraging attendance at the PWX conference. Give the episode a listen and remember to thank your local Public Works Professionals.