Q&A Jun 22, 2020

Q&A: Talking with our ENR Top Young Professionals, Katie Warner

ENR Top Young Professional and North American Nuclear Stakeholder Interface Manager Katie Warner talks career, conscious inclusion and the next-generation of the nuclear workforce.

Katie Warner headshot and Q&A Banner

This year, Jacobs is proud to have six Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top Young Professionals to congratulate.

We're so proud of how they're each bringing our tagline: challenging today, reinventing tomorrow to their roles at Jacobs. Join us in celebrating John Parham, Chitwan Saluja, Menzer Pehlivan, Katie Warner, Robert Poche and Amirpasha Peyvandi with a series of interviews with these young pros.

In honor of International Women in Engineering Day, we connected virtually with Jacobs North American Nuclear Stakeholder Interface Manager and ENR Mountain States 2020 Top Young Professional honoree Katie Warner to talk career, conscious inclusion and the next-generation of the nuclear workforce.

What’s your favorite part of your role?

It’s never the same – there is a new challenge every day, so I am getting the opportunity to learn and to work with different people.

In the nuclear industry, building the future generation is especially important. How does Jacobs help inspire the workforce of tomorrow?

We work with students starting at a young age in the communities near the projects where we work to help them understand the need for all types of skillsets in the work we do and to help them see how they can be a part of the meaningful work on those sites.

We’re publishing this article in honor of International Women in Engineering Day. What inspired you to explore your own career in STEAM?

I always loved science and math so when the opportunity came up to work at Jacobs, I was excited to be involved in a career where I could encourage kids to pursue STEAM careers that I think were less encouraged growing up in my generation.

If you aren’t in the office, what would we be most likely to find you doing?

Starting my latest DIY project, working out, cooking, gardening, travelling or hanging out with my rescue pup, Finn.

Most interesting career moment?

Teaching the Conscious Inclusion training we implemented in Jacobs – there is always more to learn!

Tell us a bit about that – why’s Conscious Inclusion important?

Holding the trainings allows people to share different points of view and bring greater understanding toward each other. It’s the most powerful when hearing new points of view challenges people in the room to think differently in ways they haven’t before. Having different people of different viewpoints and backgrounds is what keeps us all work together in new and creative ways.

What’s something you learned in the last week?

There is a feral hog epidemic in the United States – their population is over 6 million. They weigh around 200 pounds each, cause major damage to land and ecosystems and have been known to attack people. Their population has actually increased in recent years, especially in Texas, because of a cyclical issue to try and feed the now popular demand to hunt the hogs.

Most proud career moment?

Organizing and hosting the Next Generation Workforce Panel at last year’s Waste Management Symposium. There was a record turn-out and it really helped elevate the issue of workforce pipelines and engaging the younger workforce in our industry.

What’s a story that your family always tells about you?

I caused a chain-reaction disaster during a family fishing trip when I was little that resulted in family members with a fishing hook in the hand, a rolled ankle, a barbed-wire fence related injury and sadly more…

People would be surprised to know that I….

Like to do barbell weightlifting in my free time.

What do you enjoy most about being part of the Jacobs family?

The team of people I work with.

Whether it’s volunteering in the community, causing havoc on family trips or leading client relations and communications, Katie Warner makes an impact. Lucky for Jacobs, she’s currently making an impact as Jacobs North American Nuclear Stakeholder Interface Manager, supporting our work with clients to deliver safe and innovative solutions at complex nuclear cleanup and production sites. Meet Katie.

About Jacobs

What drives you drives us as we work to build a better world – together. At Jacobs, every day is an opportunity to make the world better, more connected, more sustainable. We’re powered by more than 55,000 people across the globe who deliver innovative scientific, technical, professional and program-management solutions for public and private clients around the world.