Alumni News/Spotlight: SECCM Newsletter Fall 2024

What was your major?

And did you have a minor/core in addition to your major/specialization?

Matt: Engineering - Civil

Meg: Construction Management, Business Minor

Extra-curricular activities?

Meg: CM Commercial Construction Team Senior Year, Construction Club President, and 4 years on the women's soccer team.

Favorite course?

Matt: Thermodynamics was one of the most interesting and challenging classes that I enjoyed. It wasn’t difficult in the way higher math classes were, and I thrived with the problem solving required in the class. I also thoroughly enjoyed Mech/Elec as an elective since it was with Meg (and I ended the course with a grade of 102).

Meg: I remember surveying being one of the first hands-on classes and labs that I began to connect the dots and understand space planning in construction.  I took a group lead role, gathering the data points outside, and putting them into CAD in the classroom to draft a portion of campus.  I also met Jim Dorothy taking that class, he had just stared at RWU and supported the lab portion of class.  Matt and I still stay in touch with him! (Note: Jim is still a vital part of the SECCM community in his role as Director of Operations!) 

Current position? 

Matt: My title is Project Manager, but I am also a part of GPI New England’s Innovation Group, a CAD Manager, and the leader of our corporate License Administration Team. I’ve managed several Shared Use Path design projects and now create accurate visualizations for major projects. I’m the contract manager for some of our largest software programs, including Autodesk, Bluebeam, Adobe, and many others.

Meg: Internal Operations Management for Windover Construction. I select and implement construction software, onboard and coach our project managers, develop or change standard operating procedures and directly support company growth initiatives and goals, all while striving for more efficiently as technology changes. I ran construction projects as a PM for 15 years prior to this role.

Favorite part of your job?

Matt: Being a CAD Manager in the Innovation Group gives me the opportunity to explore new ways to get things done with the software we own or new programs. Autodesk has a ton of add-ons or extensions, including one called Dynamo. It’s a visual programming tool to help automate tasks within Civil 3D. I’ve created several tools that are used by my coworkers daily to improve workflow efficiency.

Meg: I am building and growing a construction company now, instead of projects for outside clients.  And while I miss the excitement of a construction project, I love that my co-workers are now my clients.

Career goals?

Matt: I’m really enjoying watching AI grow in the engineering industry. I’m not afraid of machines taking my job, but rather, I want to train machines to do the mundane tasks so I can do the more enjoyable, thought-provoking, complicated work. (Note from Dean Griffin: Awesome attitude, Matt!)

Meg: Being a coach to our PMs, specifically on construction financials has been a part of my new role, and now I’m more involved connecting project financials to the company books – I hope to learn more corporate construction finance, working in a role focused on operational excellence.

Why RWU?

Matt: I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in high school, but I liked construction and was really good at math. That pointed me to engineering and Roger Williams was a great fit. The location was amazing, and I liked the smaller size of the school.

Meg: I chose it for the location! And the major. When I was looking at schools and selecting a major, I had no idea that CM was a job or something you could study in school. It was an accepted students’ day, and Dean Potter helped me realize that it was a great fit. It was a bonus that I was also able to play Division III soccer.

Advice for current students?

Matt: Find something you love to do, then find someone to pay you to do it. If that doesn’t work, find a job you like, then turn it into something you love. Career paths shouldn’t be a static line - you and your career grow together.

Meg: What Matt said! Reading about our career paths, I hope students see that we did not each climb a pre-set ladder. We have put in the work to set ourselves apart, and now both have opportunities to work creatively creating jobs at our companies that use our skill sets to the fullest.

Interesting facts?

The Kearneys: We met junior year of RWU and now have two boys - ages 6 and nearly 10!- one of which is 100% sold on being an engineer when he grows up.

Matt has gotten to design several bike paths in Massachusetts, and we are so lucky to be able to bring our kids on those paths!

During the week, we’re all working hard at work, school, on the field with sports, and practicing piano. On the weekends is when we all really shine: we are traveling in our camper enjoying hiking and getting in miles on our bikes.