From Intern to Expert: Meet Jessica Navarro

Jessica started as an intern in 1999 while attending Kansas State University. Knowing she wanted to live in Texas, she joined WSP’s Dallas office in 2000 as a designer and moved quickly into a project management role. Over the years, Jessica gained experience with various projects and clients, particularly in the HCA group, where she led a dedicated team and collaborated with offices across the nation. In 2020, she took on the role leading the Property and Buildings group in North Texas as local business line leader. In this role, she continues to manage multiple projects, mentor staff and work closely with clients on their programmatic and project needs.

Can you describe a pivotal moment or project that significantly advanced your expertise?

The equipment replacement project at Medical City Dallas Hospital, which began in 2014, was initially intended to replace four 4,000 ampere switchboards. However, due to the complex and tight nature of the campus, the project expanded into a $42 million endeavor. This included constructing a generator room housing two 3.5 mega-watt, medium voltage generators over an existing fire lane, as temporary generators were not permitted. The project faced numerous challenges, including finding space for permanent generators on a tight campus and coordinating with multiple stakeholders to ensure continuous power supply during the switchgear replacement.

The project, which was supposed to last six months, extended to eight years, concluding in 2022. It required hiring architects and structural engineers and involved extensive coordination with utilities to upgrade equipment and provide true electrical utility redundancy. Despite the complexities and roadblocks, the project was a significant learning experience, highlighting the responsibilities of being a prime contractor and the importance of thorough planning and stakeholder management. Ultimately, the project successfully set up the hospital for future expansions, even though not all installed generators were immediately used.

How have you seen the company evolve? How has this impacted the growth of your career?

When we were CCRD Partners (a WSP-acquired company), there were opportunities to work on great projects, but we were somewhat limited in terms of promotions and additional responsibilities due to its size. Key client managers held their positions, leaving fewer opportunities for others. This led some people to open satellite offices or take over existing ones. However, after merging with WSP, the competition for roles diminished, and growth opportunities became limitless! At WSP, you’re not competing with peers or waiting for supervisors to move on before stepping into new roles. There is ample opportunity for growth.

In Dallas, while we focus heavily on healthcare, there are opportunities in higher education, mission-critical work, aviation and venues. The breadth of knowledge and technical expertise at WSP is vast, and if someone asks if WSP can handle a project, the answer is confidently yes. It might not even be in my business line. It might not be in my sector or division, but someone at WSP, somewhere has the specialty experience that we can use and share.