Life at CMT: Employee Recognition Program, Summer 2024

Crawford, Murphy & Tilly (CMT) holds company-wide meetings throughout the year to provide progress updates on strategic initiatives, share insights across disciplines and geographies, and recognize professional excellence and outstanding contributions to the firm. During the most recent meeting, CMT’s Recognition Committee, along with CMT CEO and Board Chair Bill Bailey, PE, SE, presented five awards to deserving individuals. Firm leaders also highlighted milestone employment anniversaries, announced new professional certification recipients, and welcomed new team members and interns who joined CMT in the past year. Read on for a full recap, outlined below:

Recognizing Professional Excellence

CMT’s long-standing employee recognition program is a testament to the firm’s commitment to expressing appreciation for employee contributions and excellence. At the most recent company-wide meeting, CMT’s Recognition Committee introduced five awards honoring individuals at CMT. All awarded individuals were nominated by colleagues at the firm. Learn more about each of these awards – and their recipients – below:

Emerging Professional Award

This award recognizes individuals who exhibit strong involvement with CMT or professional organizations. It pays tribute to those who serve as positive influences within the firm, demonstrating qualities of service, fellowship, leadership, and unwavering commitment.

Congratulations to Heather Gipp, PE, CMT’s outstanding Emerging Professional.

Heather serves in a project management role for water resources projects in CMT’s St. Louis, MO, office. She excels as a coach for CMT’s Continuous Improvement & Innovation Initiative (CI²), serves as the GIS Community of Practice (CoP) CI² liaison, and co-leads CMT’s Young Professionals Planning Group. Heather is active in the firm’s Mentor Program, having served as both a mentee and mentor. Furthermore, she is heavily involved in business development efforts for the water resources team. Outside of CMT, Heather is a third-year trustee on the board of directors and chair of the diversity and inclusion committee for the Missouri Section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA). She is also a member of the Missouri Water Environment Association (MWEA) and has completed the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Future Leaders Academy training. CMT applauds Heather’s leadership involvement and contributions to the profession.

Leadership Award

This award recognizes a team member with exceptional leadership qualities – one who inspires and motivates those around them. This recognition is bestowed upon individuals who display initiative in implementing transformative changes, as well as fostering a culture of respect and inclusivity throughout the organization.

Congratulations to Matt Overbey, PE, PLS, the recipient of CMT’s Leadership Award.

Matt serves in the roles of project engineer and project manager in CMT’s Springfield, IL, office. His ability to inspire and motivate design teams across CMT’s geography is widely recognized, as he collaborates closely with some of the firm’s largest clients. In addition, he holds the Bentley Premier Scholar Accreditation, driven by his ambition to lead and champion a significant software transition at the firm. Beyond CMT, his leadership extends to active participation in the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers (ISPE), where he is involved in statewide committees and represents the organization within the Great Lakes Central Region of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE). In 2023, Matt completed the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Illinois’ Master’s Class, focusing on professional workshops and enhancing his leadership acumen. CMT celebrates Matt’s embodiment of exemplary professional standards and recognizes him as a key leader contributing to the team’s success.

Mentoring Excellence Award

This award highlights an individual’s commitment to mentoring, developing, and supporting the team. The recognized individual contributes to the growth of their colleagues by nurturing the professional development of others and investing their time to help others reach their full potential. This person recognizes the unique strengths and talents of their team members and skillfully harnesses those qualities to drive success.

Congratulations to Marion Wells, the recipient of CMT’s Mentoring Excellence Award.

Marion is an environmental scientist in CMT’s Dayton, OH, office. She excels in mentoring, encouraging, and developing staff, shaping the firm through her exemplary involvement and dedication to character and career development. Her leadership is characterized by a deliberate approach to career advancement, balancing field and office tasks to broaden exposure across CMT’s environmental services. Marion’s mentoring capabilities shine through as co-chair of CMT’s Women’s Initiative Network (WIN) Employee Resource Group, leader of Book Club, and member of the Young Professionals Planning Group. Marion fosters growth through CI² initiatives, promotes best practices across the firm, and leads by example to inspire vision and career advancement. CMT applauds Marion for her exceptional mentoring efforts within the firm.

Community Service Award

This award recognizes an employee’s exemplary service to their community and their overall representation of CMT’s values and guiding principles.

Congratulations to Alex Zelles, the recipient of CMT’s Community Service Award.

Alex, an environmental scientist in CMT’s Aurora, IL, office, epitomizes corporate social responsibility as a lifelong commitment. Since entering the profession, she has dedicated her expertise and education to benefit the northern Illinois community. Alex is actively involved in local nonprofit conservation groups and serves as the commissioner of the municipal advisory committee, Batavia Environmental Commission. Through these organizations, she has played a pivotal role in solution development for failing infrastructure in the community. Her contributions extend to social media and digital outreach efforts on the city’s website, addressing pressing environmental issues. CMT congratulates Alex on her steadfast commitment to making a difference in her community and profession.

Professional Dedication Award

The award recognizes employees who have shared expertise with others in their profession by writing papers for publications or preparing and delivering presentations to professional organizations.

Congratulations to Jacque Knight, AICP, the recipient of CMT’s Professional Dedication Award.

Jacque is a transportation and complete street planner in CMT’s St. Louis, MO, office. As a distinguished leader in the profession, she is renowned for advocating for inclusive transportation systems. Her passion and expertise have prominently showcased CMT’s leadership in transportation planning through numerous event presentations and panel discussions. Notable engagements include Urban Land Institute of St. Louis, the St. Louis Metro Section of the American Planning Association (APA), the Missouri Traffic and Safety Conference, the Transportation Engineers Association of Missouri (TEAM) Conference, the Bi-State (MO & KS) APA Conference, and the Trailnet Beers with Engineers panel discussion. CMT commends Jacque for her professional dedication and the impacts resulting from her work.

Welcoming New Teammates

Since July 18, 2023, CMT has welcomed 55 new employees across 15 different offices. CMT is proud of the positive and lasting impact each of these individuals has already made on the firm.

Spotlighting CMT’s Largest Internship Class

This summer marked a significant milestone, as CMT welcomed its largest intern class in company history. CMT appreciates the contributions of all 46 of our Summer 2024 interns and is honored to be providing these young professionals with valuable experiences and mentorship to help shape their careers.

Collage of headshots of CMT's 41 interns

Honoring Professional Certifications

CMT’s culture of continuous improvement and innovation is evident in the achievements of our team members. In 2024, our team has attained the following professional license accomplishments.

Professional Engineer (PE) Licenses

Dylan Buechler
Misael Cordova-Vasquez
Matt DeMoss
Vicky Goebel
Ryan Hampsey
Tanner Hasty
Mitchell Kroeger
Celia Lamprecht
Claudia McAllister-Peterson
Jeremy Metz
Reem Naser
Albert Reinwart
Yao Wang

Professional Traffic Operations Engineer (PTOE)

Giovanni Hansel

Celebrating Tenure Milestones

CMT is honored to be the employer of choice for so many talented and dedicated professionals. Congratulations and thank you to all team members who are celebrating noteworthy milestones this year.