Our People: Kiera Nissen

What do you find most fulfilling about this industry?

So, I am fairly new, I started in the Fall of 2022. I had gone straight from my undergraduate to get my PhD, then I got this job here. I wasn’t necessarily sure about where I wanted to go. I originally got my PhD so that I could go into academia. But I started working here and I really, really enjoy what I do. I like that its problem solving. I really enjoy looking at something and finding an optimal way to do something. So, I think that’s what I find the most fulfilling.

I really like the day-to-day tasks. My PhD was in stormwater, so I like it when I’m working on stuff with that and trying to figure out what the constraints are. Lately we have started working on projects outside of New Jersey, and I really like digging into what the different requirements are and how we are going to meet them, because it’s different than what we do in Jersey. Figuring out what the priorities are and trying to find this optimal solution I find really fulfilling.

Tell me about a time or project that solidified your passion for the engineering industry.

I think my passion started before I really started working. My sophomore year of college is when I took all of my water resources classes. I took fluid mechanics, I took water resources, I had labs, and environmental engineering that same semester, so it was all water the full semester. That’s when I was kind of thinking I would go into water resources, and the storm water management side of things, and that really cemented it. That semester, I knew I was going to either love it or hate it. I loved it! But that meant that the rest of my semesters in college weren’t as fun because I had taken all those classes.

Not sure if this applies to the industry necessarily, but when I started here it was super busy. I work primarily with Lena, and she kind of threw stuff at me, asking “Can you do this?” and I said “Yeah! I’ll figure it out!” and I really loved that. I liked getting thrown into something. I liked immediately feeling smart and useful. Then we went out to lunch the second Friday after I started, and she explained that she felt so bad because she didn’t even have a chance to chat with me about our educations, since she had almost an identical education as me (undergraduate degree from NJIT and then went to Steven’s for grad school), or anything like that. We skipped all the niceties. But I loved that. I think that some people would get overwhelmed, but I like when we’re busy and having a bunch of things to do. It makes the days go fast. 

Can you share a significant challenge you’ve faced in your role and how you overcame it?

I’m very lucky that nothing is coming to mind. I think the out-of-state projects have been interesting and a challenge in their own way, but like I said, that’s what I like most. I’ve had plenty of challenging jobs, but I enjoy them.

What do you consider the advantages of being a woman in STEM?

I think there are a lot of advantages. One is that as women in a male dominated field, we might feel the need to prove ourselves. I think that because of that, my quality work is pretty good. I second guess myself more, so when my work gets to a project manager’s desk it might be more polished than  someone else’s. That’s why I love working with a woman project manager. The fact that I was matched with her my first week and stuck with her, I love Lena and feel like we think similarly in a lot of ways. We have equal expectations of our work and want it to be great.

What do you enjoy most about working at FPA?

I love my coworkers so much; I love who I work with. Speaking with my friends in different industries at different jobs, it’s clear that FPA has created a really special environment here. I think that Land Development has a really great team. We all get along. I like going to the company holiday parties and stuff because I actually enjoy the people I work with.

In what ways do you believe your work positively impacts FPA and our clients?

I’m a unique case because I did my PhD, so I think I have this level of knowledge that others don’t usually get this early in their career. That’s what was tricky with Lena and I at first. She could speak at a very high level with me about stormwater design and some of these trickier topics, and I could immediately understand what she was talking about. But then on the other hand, I didn’t know how to do things in CAD or with cost estimates, which a lot of people would do their first week because they’re not as sophisticated of topics. So, I think I bring this higher level of knowledge of storm water design to our clients. Since I’m not a project manager being pulled in a bunch of different directions, I can focus on one project at a time because that’s my role, and I think that allows a level of detail and understanding as I go through the design phase.

Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of FPA?

I think its crazy how much we’ve grown since I started. I think that the land development group has tripled in the past 2 years. If it’s not yet tripled, its definitely more than doubled. I think that’s exciting for the new projects we’re bringing in. The growth in other offices is really cool too. Like I said, I really like doing work in other states and figuring that out, so the idea of doing more out of state work is exciting to me. FPA has grown so much and is continuing to grow, so I’m excited for what that means for what we will be able to do and learn.

Can you share a fun fact about yourself that your colleagues might not know?

I love to bake, but I think most of my colleagues know that by now. I bring in cupcakes occasionally. The other thing I really like to do is play board games, but they also know that. I went to a board game convention a few weeks ago. I kind of talk a lot and I share a lot.