About Town

Women in STEAM – Nicci Tiner

Nicci Tiner | Garver | Vice President – Transportation Planning & Traffic Team Leader

Beginning Interests… I was always interested in building things and planned on becoming an engineer or architect. During my senior year of high school, a local engineering firm hosted some classmates and I at an engineering banquet at a nearby university. That’s what sold me on becoming an engineer.

A Day at Work… Each day looks different, but my time is often spent coordinating with the Garver roadway and bridge teams on various projects, delegating and scheduling projects and milestones with my team, and handling overall quality assurance and quality control of Garver’s transportation planning and traffic engineering projects.

Career Evolution… After three years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Little Rock, I joined the Garver Transportation Team, which really opened up some doors for me. My first seven years at Garver were spent designing bridges and developing construction plans. I enjoyed the work I got to do, but I felt drawn to the traffic control needs for these projects.  That’s what set me on the path of building a team of traffic engineers – something that didn’t exist at Garver over 20 years ago – and becoming the transportation planning & traffic team leader. Now, I lead my team in corridor planning, traffic design and analysis and transportation technology. I hope to leave a legacy of professionals known across the region for the quality of our work.

LOVE the Work… The thing I love most about my job is getting to see a finished project and knowing the positive impact that our hard work as engineers has on our communities. We help design and bring to life the infrastructure and traffic solutions that keep people connected to their jobs and loved ones – and that’s what it’s all about.

Surprising, but True… There are countless opportunities in engineering, and suit nearly every skill set. On the Garver Transportation Team, we have a diverse group of teams and engineers – some focus on bridge design, hydrology, roadway design, environmental, traffic, and so on. On my team, I have engineers who excel at technical writing which is essential for our planning documents. Other team members are skilled at visualization, and others are computer experts. There’s something for everyone.

Advice… Don’t let anyone tell you can’t do it. I’m grateful to not encounter it so much anymore, but there was a time when engineering wasn’t recommended as a career path for women. Being in this field is so rewarding, and I would highly encourage anyone who’s interested to pursue engineering.

These wonder women are redefining what “full STEAM ahead” means in Arkansas. With exciting careers in science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics – each reflects WIT (Women in Tech) and true grit for making the most of every opportunity. Here’s to the powHER of knowledge.

Photography by Sarah Oden

Inviting Arkansas

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