Michelle Sweeney: Civil engineer appreciates job flexibility, working with public on projects

“That’s definitely one of my favorite things to do, is being able to take my kids to a construction site and show them something that I’m designing and working on,” Michelle Sweeney said.

As the senior project manager for the Waterloo branch of AECOM, she has had many opportunities to do that. At 37, she’s been the project leader for the $38 million University Avenue reconstruction in Waterloo and the Iowa Highway 58/Viking Road interchange and Viking Road widening in Cedar Falls, including the Prairie Lakes Trail underpass. Her fingerprints can also be found on the Cedar Falls Mayors Pedestrian Bridge, the trail underpass along Greenhill Road, the National Cattle Congress sanitary sewer and the Waterloo Center for the Arts.

Sweeney has been named to the 2022 class of 20 Under 40 honorees.

She doesn’t always get the flashiest assignments but likes the change-ups that the job brings. It keeps her on her toes, she said, and stops her from being bored

“I like the diversity in what I do. I like going from working on a $40 million interchange to working on a small ADA (compliant) sidewalk,” Sweeney said, referencing the Americans with Disabilities Act. “I also like working with the public. I like working with them on how we can make them better because, to be honest, the general public in the end is the user of these corridors and these projects.”

Always adept with numbers, Sweeney first got the engineering bug when she was studying at Don Bosco High School in Gilbertville. The career path was suggested to her by her math teacher, Roger Hahn. She went to engineering camps at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and Iowa State University in Ames, eventually studying and graduating from the latter.

While doing these camps, she learned the different engineering disciplines, from electrical to aerospace. However, it was in civil engineering that Sweeney found her calling.

“The thing that I liked about civil engineering and the thing I still like about what I do is I like the outside aspect. I get to not only design my projects, but I also get to go out to the field and assist in construction by administering the contracts with my clients. So that’s what I like – I like the flexibility of being inside and outside.”

When she’s not working in engineering, Sweeney is spending time with her three children and volunteering for various charity groups around the Cedar Valley. These include board membership in the Waterloo Kiwanis Club and work with Irish Fest, the Salvation Army, Adopt-a-Family and the St. Athanasius School in Jesup, where she sat on the board. She also volunteers for her church and the Buchanan County Fair.

Alongside her community work, Sweeney has taken a keen interest in the direction of her field and its future. She’s an advisory committee member for the Hawkeye Community College Engineering Tech program, a committee member for the Women’s Transportation Seminar and a board member for Iowa Statewide Urban Design and Specifications.

Her efforts haven’t been lost on Doug Schindel, area operations manager for AECOM. He cited her professionalism and commitment along with the work she does around the community.

“Michelle Sweeney is an excellent candidate because of her dedication to her profession, volunteer activities and commitment to the Cedar Valley,” Schindel wrote in his nomination. “Her enthusiasm, hard work ethic and positive attitude are the traits that have made her successful.”