Insights Employee spotlight: Grace Morris

I have been interested in water and coastal issues ever since I was a child. I grew up along the Puget Sound in Washington State and have experienced the impacts of living in a flood prone area with critically endangered species like the Southern Resident Killer Whale. My proximity to the shoreline and my awareness and curiosity of the slough of natural and manmade changes occurring there made studying the coastal zone the natural progression of my academic interests. In graduate school I studied Marine and Environmental Affairs with a certificate in International Development Policy and Management.

Atkins provides many diverse opportunities to tailor my career. I enjoy the policy track and impact through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). I’ve been supporting FEMA with addressing National Initiative to Advance Building Codes (NIABC) priorities by providing qualitative data analyses and research support. I’ve also been supporting Technical Mapping Advisory Council objectives as needed. I spend most of my time tracking news, federal initiatives and legislation related to building codes and Net Zero.

In the long term, I’d like to get more experience working on coastal resilience. In my personal time I volunteer with a local partnership doing trail and river restoration—I think that satisfies my itch for field work— but I can see myself assisting on informing policy for coastal resilience projects and look forward to seeing what opportunities exist in this area at Atkins.

What areas are you looking forward to working on next?

Many topics have piqued my interests. The next thing I research will likely be focused on decarbonizing the energy sector by utilizing coastal wind and tidal energy. As a student, I focused on climate change from a community mitigation perspective, and I did not look too deeply into the drivers of climate change from the energy sector. My background is interdisciplinary, and I have been exposed to many different aspects of environmental issues. While this has the benefit of letting me understand environment-related conversations, it has also been the impetus of my interest in exploring many topics.

What advice would do you have for young professionals new to the industry?

The best advice I was given when starting my career was to identify and rank five topics I would like to explore, five skills I know I have and enjoy using, and five skills I would like to have in 10 years. This is both helpful when interviewing, providing you with quick skills and interests to note when asked, and when coordinating with managers about career goals. At a minimum, identifying the things you want to learn more about can direct you towards networks and opportunities that help propel your career forward.