The Digital Flood Risk Changemaker

Meet Jennifer (“Jenna”) McGee, a Water Resources Engineer with WSP in the U.S., leading flood risk analysis and digital solutions to help build more resilient communities and drive awareness about flood risks.

United States | Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Reading Time : 3:30 minutes

Over the past 18 years, Jenna has been bringing digital solutions, and other skills like programming and project management to her projects. Her career has focused on flood risk analysis and disaster recovery, aiming to build pathways that emergency services can leverage to plan for, and respond to floods effectively.

What inspires or motivates you in your career?

I like learning new things and solving puzzles. I’m also fascinated by water and how it moves, falling as rain or flowing over a waterfall. Each morning I’m excited to apply my problem-solving skills within an industry I’m passionate about.

What is the biggest challenge in your field that you’re working to help resolve?

All over the world, we’re seeing more extreme weather, and even in typically dry areas, that includes more flooding. Because of many changes, there are people who don’t know they’re at risk, and real-time data isn’t always available that can give them the information they need. My work involves developing digital solutions that leverage flood risk data and weather forecasts to generate actionable insights.

What are some impactful projects you have been a part of?

There have been so many exciting projects over my career with WSP, but the one that stands out for me started as a pilot project to help computer-based flood models to work with a new, real-time flood forecasting data set from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (NOAA) called the National Water Model (NWM). That work allowed us to build what is now RiverSignal, a full web-based platform that our clients can access to set up their own alerts, so they’ll get warning of a flood before it happens.

Jenna McGee

Assistant Vice President, Water Resources Engineering

United States

Contact

Meet Our Changemakers

Related themes and tags

There are people who don’t know they’re at risk, and real-time data isn’t always available that can give them the information they need. My work involves developing digital solutions that leverage flood risk data and weather forecasts to generate actionable insights.

Why do you enjoy working at WSP?

Some people think that 18 years is a long time to be with one employer, but because WSP is so big, it has allowed me to work in many different roles and pursue a variety of career opportunities. I’ve also had full support from management to pursue things that I thought were interesting and useful, promoting creativity and innovative solutions.

How does your work relate to the goals of World Water Day?

This year’s United Nations theme is “Water for Peace,” and it focuses on the ways water can be protected and conserved. My work focuses on helping avoid the problems that the other face of water can cause, through flooding that damages infrastructure, buildings and farmland. Floods can destroy livelihoods and damage crops, causing poverty that is often the root cause of conflicts. If our work can delineate the most flood-prone areas and provide ideas on how to minimize the impact of flooding, we’re helping to preserve peace.

Floods can destroy livelihoods and damage crops, causing poverty that is often the root cause of conflicts. If our work can delineate the most flood-prone areas and provide ideas on how to minimize the impact of flooding, we’re helping to preserve peace.

How do you feel women are making an impact in your space?

I’ve known a lot of great women engineers during my career and have the greatest respect for those ahead of me that made my journey as a woman in engineering possible to pursue. Because of them, I no longer think of engineering as a man’s job, or that I’m out of place. It’s our job, and I’m part of the team. I see women bringing balance to our teams, sometimes quietly taking notes to make sure everyone remembers their assigned tasks, sometimes speaking up to question the “way it’s always been,” and other times taking on leadership roles.

I’ve had great mentors through my career, many of which were men. My advice to young women entering this field is to connect with someone you respect, woman or man, who can provide the broader perspective in your industry. They can help give you the confidence to raise your hand in a room full of people and be recognized. But also, go ahead and chart your own path. If you’re not sure, ask questions. The quality of your work will speak for you, but you also need to be a bit bold, speak up, pursue opportunities and try something new.

What opportunities are you passionate about to build a more sustainable and resilient future?

Why we show up for work every day isn’t about running another model or making more maps. We want to make resilient communities and ensure residents and community officials are aware of their flood risks — and when necessary, they can recover from them quickly and get back to life as usual.