SAN FRANCISCO (July 18, 2017) — AECOM, a premier, fully integrated global infrastructure firm, announced today that Julie L. Labonte has been named senior vice-president and senior program manager within its Design and Consulting Services group’s Program and Construction Management (PM/CM) business. In this role, Ms. Labonte will concentrate on growing the firm’s PM/CM business with a focus on helping major California and National clients meet significant water and wastewater challenges.
Ms. Labonte comes to AECOM with nearly 30 years of water and wastewater expertise in the public and private sectors. She brings a noteworthy reputation for long-term planning, strategic development and effective management stemming from her strong technical experience, deep understanding of client challenges and dynamic leadership, organizational and communication skills.
“I had the honor of working closely with Julie to implement the successful delivery of the San Francisco Water System Improvement Program and was continually impressed with her strong leadership, clear vision and persistence in very challenging and ever-changing situations,” said John Kinneen, vice president, AECOM PM/CM Americas Water. “Julie is a true champion of women in the engineering and construction industry and I am confident that our firm will provide her with a rich environment for development and deployment of her extraordinary strengths and talents.”
Prior to joining AECOM, Ms. Labonte was director of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s US$4.8 billion Water System Improvement Program, one of North America’s largest water capital improvement programs, incorporating 87 projects and involving over 500 city staff and consultants. Ms. Labonte returned to the private sector in 2014 to lead MWH’s (prior to its acquisition by Stantec) program management practice for the Americas. More recently, she led the MWH program management team selected by the city of San Diego to deliver the Pure Water Program, a 20-year, US$3 billion potable reuse program. In this role, Ms. Labonte advised the city and directed the consultant team on all aspects of program implementation while providing the city’s leadership team with strategic planning and tactical guidance.
Ms. Labonte garnered various technical accomplishments and professional awards over the course of her career, including the Government Civil Engineer of the Year (for the U.S.) from the American Society of Civil Engineers. She served on the National Board of the Construction Management Association of America for three years and she is currently on the Board of Directors of Africa Development Promise, a nonprofit organization working in East Africa to support rural women through the creation of agricultural cooperatives while addressing the water, energy and food nexus to achieve long-term sustainable economic and social outcomes. Ms. Labonte also led projects in Africa for the World Water Corps, an international volunteer arm of Water For People, where she worked to increase access to safe drinking water in the developing world.
“I am thrilled to now be part of AECOM and to have the opportunity to pursue, win and lead some of the largest and most complex water programs in America,” said Ms. Labonte. “I am eager to help AECOM solidify its standing as the premier program management firm in the water industry here in the United States.”
Ms. Labonte holds dual-master’s degrees in Environmental Engineering from University of California at Berkeley and in Civil Engineering from San Diego State University.
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