Alumna lands her dream job leading Engineers Without Borders

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Taking on a new leadership role at Engineers Without Borders (EWB) USA during a global pandemic might be daunting for some people, but not Jackie O’Brien, who was named the organization’s CEO last summer.

Founded in 2002, EWB-USA has grown from a handful of passionate individuals to thousands of committed volunteers—including students at Ohio State and other universities—working on hundreds of engineering projects across the globe.

O’Brien earned her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University. Before her role as CEO, she had been an EWB-USA board member since 2018.

Jackie O'Brien chats with engineering students Lily Liu and Ryan Cartwright via Zoom

After 30 years of experience in the corporate world starting as an environmental engineer with stretches at Vigor, Arconic, and Alcoa, O’Brien is already applying her wide-ranging experience to EWB-USA. Having grown up in Lima, Peru, and lived in Madrid, New York City, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, she has a deep appreciation for cross cultural exchanges, meaningful volunteerism and global thinking. 

In late 2020, O’Brien and two Ohio State engineering majors—both EWB student chapter leaders—had a conversation via Zoom about her time at Ohio State, her career and the global impacts of humanitarian engineering, especially during a pandemic. With their permission, we recorded it for others to enjoy.

“I’m absolutely thrilled that my first student chapter engagement is with my alma mater,” she told Lily Liu and Ryan Cartwright, who also had a chance to tell her about the Ohio State student chapter initiatives in Africa and around Columbus.

“My experience at Ohio State enabled me to get to where I am,” O’Brien explained. “It’s where I learned that engineers can change the world, and my education is what has given me the opportunity to do that.”

Categories: AlumniStudents