Meet Cathy Wunderlich

For nearly three decades, Cathy Wunderlich has helped communities across the U.S. Midwest and beyond rethink how they manage water.

As a project manager and principal technologist at Jacobs, she leads with a deep understanding of how infrastructure shapes lives, helping every project reflect the needs of the people it serves. Her career spans the full spectrum of water infrastructure, including drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, green infrastructure, wet weather management and flood mitigation. So, when Jacobs opened its new office in Madison, Wisconsin in 2025, naming Cathy to lead its water market wasn’t just a natural choice, it was a strategic one.

Cathy has led some of the region’s most transformative projects, including the restoration of Milwaukee’s Kinnickinnic River, the award-winning Lick Run Greenway in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Bee Branch Creek Watershed Flood Mitigation in Dubuque, Iowa. Each project she touches reflects her belief that infrastructure should do more than solve technical challenges — it should improve lives, restore ecosystems and strengthen communities.

Before joining Jacobs, Cathy served as Director of Engineering for the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District and as the Public Water Engineering Section Chief at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Her leadership helped shape statewide programs for lead service line replacement, Safe Drinking Water Act compliance and technical assistance for small systems — all aimed at expanding access to safe, reliable water for underserved communities.

At Jacobs, Cathy continues to lead with purpose. She manages complex, multi-stakeholder projects with clarity and care, balancing engineering excellence with environmental stewardship and community engagement. Her work is grounded in systems thinking that considers long-term resilience, climate adaptation and equity. Cathy’s contributions reflect the power of pairing local expertise with national impact. 

Whether she’s coordinating with regulatory agencies, mentoring young engineers or guiding infrastructure investments that span decades, Cathy is helping shape a future where water works — for everyone.