Articles/Publications
An Outstanding Civil Engineer in Management: Lisa A. Brothers
Lisa A. Brothers, PE, is vice president and co-owner of Nitsch Engineering , a 54-person civil engineering/land surveying consulting firm located in Boston. Since 1990, Brothers has been responsible for Nitsch Engineering's daily operations, including the management of staff and services, and has been a major contributor to the company's five-year 1,383% growth rate, recognized by Inc. magazine in 1996. She negotiates contracts, provides technical review and support on all major projects, and oversees Nitsch Engineering's staff performance and employment concerns.
Before coming to Nitsch Engineering in 1990, Brothers worked for the Massachusetts Highway Department as a roadway/bridge engineer and as a project manager at Allen, Demurjian, Major & Nitsch. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Lowell in 1984 and obtained an MBA from Northeastern University in 1991. She is a registered professional civil engineer in Massachusetts, an elected board member of the Women's Transportation Seminar-Boston Chapter and a member of the Program Manager Forum Subcommittee of the American Consulting Engineers Council of New England.
Well-educated, highly skilled, well-rounded, fair and concerned, Lisa Brothers is this issue of JME's nominee for Outstanding Civil Engineer in Management. According to the staff at Nitsch Engineering, Lisa not only knows her field but also knows people, and is able to integrate this knowledge in ways that have earned her their respect and admiration.
Lisa's educational training traverses two domains: civil engineering and business. This educational combination has translated into successful management practices.
As vice president of Nitsch Engineering, Brothers has been responsible for implementing operational systems designed to support the astronomical growth of the firm.
After joining the firm as its second employee in 1990, she and colleague Judith Nitsch consciously engineered a vision for the firm that sought to anticipate the needs of their clients while valuing their employees. This winning combination of business acumen and respect for individuals has been rewarded by repeat clients and retention of key staff.
At Nitsch Engineering, Lisa's time management skills, according to her colleagues, have leveraged her technical expertise, allowing her to manage both the overall operation of the firm and specific projects. She is described as "organized and systematic when carrying out projects, a person capable of recognizing when and how to implement a quick decision, and ready to push certain tasks to get a project completed on schedule."
Not surprisingly, this same professional judgment carries over to her project management practices. She has an uncanny ability to identify employees who can carry out the task or project well, while recognizing that sometimes outside experts might have to be consulted. Equally impressive is her willingness to pitch in on a project to facilitate its completion or take on additional work if others appear overextended.
In the process of managing a civil engineering project, Lisa also applies her exceptional people skills. This combination of skills is particularly valuable in Lisa's role as adviser to several town planning boards. Michelle Collette, assistant to the Groton, Massachusetts, planning board says, "We don't know what we would do without her. She is thorough, dependable and knowledgeable, and she commands the respect of both the planning board and developers. She looks out for the interests of the town but understands the practicalities of development and can diffuse contentious situations with a combination of good judgment and humor."
Internally, Lisa uses her people skills to serve the needs of the client while developing the abilities of the staff. By identifying the right person or persons for a project, Lisa acknowledges her employees' strengths and shares them in ways that benefit the company as a whole. Her willingness to allow employees to stretch their capabilities for the learning experience — even though this practice might prove risky — is commendable and ever so important in building confidence, trust and respect.
Lisa also understands that employees have a life beyond the firm and works toward that end. She promotes flexible hours so employees can balance their private and professional lives and is often available to discuss other ways that the balance might be achieved. A timely response to employee concerns always seems a priority for her. As one employee put it, "This is a civilized engineering firm."
While both technical expertise and people skills are predominant in Lisa's management style, her inherent personal and professional qualities make her an extraordinary civil engineer in management. Her staff describe her as a manager who is "devoted to the company and its future success, willing to take chances and stick out her own neck, and ready to champion a cause she deems important."
She is admired for the ethical underpinning that guides her decision making, her ability to accept criticism and learn from it, and her obvious joy in doing what she does. One employee ventured to say, "She loves her work and it shows."
David J. Hatem, a partner in the Boston law firm, Burns & Levinson LLP, commented, "As a member of the Nitsch Engineering advisory board, I have had substantial opportunity to interact with Lisa at a management level. Lisa has consistently demonstrated not only the skill and vision required of a manager but also a healthy, balanced sensitivity to the needs and interests of individuals of varying levels within her firm. For these attributes, I respect her as both a manager and a person."
Published in ASCE's Journal of Management in Engineering, September/October 1998