Lauren is a vice president and the railway discipline manager at Hanson. She joined Hanson as an intern in 2006 and became a full-time employee in 2009 after earning her bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Northeastern University.

In her role, Lauren focuses on engineering projects primarily for clients with railway-related needs. Her responsibilities include project scoping, feasibility studies, conceptual designs, design-team coordination, construction-phase planning, design reviews, bid-document preparation, estimating, scheduling, construction administration and contract management. Over her career, she has worked on numerous rail track and bridge projects for railroads, municipalities and other organizations proposing work within railroad rights of way. Many of Lauren’s recent projects have been focused on restoring fish passage and historical waterways that were cut off when railroad embankments were installed in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

An active participant in the engineering community, Lauren is a member of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), where she serves as treasurer for the Puget Sound Chapter. She has been a speaker, panelist, awards judge and webinar presenter at IISE’s annual conferences and events. She is a member of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) and serves on Committee 16: Economics of Railway Engineering & Operations. Lauren also volunteers her time with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying’s Industrial and Systems Engineering Professional Engineer Exam Development Committee.

Lauren is committed to mentoring and sharing information on opportunities in engineering with the younger generation. She has volunteered at engineering fairs for elementary and middle school students, mentor nights for high school and community college students, and resume review and mock interviewing sessions for university students. She served on the University of Washington’s Industrial and Systems Engineering Executive Advisory Board from 2016 to 2021, where she helped create an industry mentorship program and chaired the Student Advancement Subcommittee.

In 2021, Lauren was recognized as a Rising Star in Multidiscipline Engineering by Zweig Group and was selected as one of Railway Track & Structures magazine’s 2021 Women in Railroad Engineering.

IN LAUREN’S WORDS
“I love getting to work somewhere that I can mentor staff, work on internal process improvement initiatives and collaborate with a great team of colleagues and clients to deliver successful projects.”