Amy Peabody, Project Manager, National Park Service Design & Construction Division

Amy Peabody

In a single sentence, what do you do? I manage design and construction projects in National Parks across the nation for the National Park Service at the Denver Service Center in Denver, Colorado.

What do you love about National Park Service and your job? I love the National Park Service (NPS) mission of preserving our natural and cultural resources for this and future generations. Some of my most memorable personal experiences have been in our National Parks and I love that this job allows me to use my skills and expertise to support the mission while contributing to others having similar inspiring experiences.

What advice do you have for students majoring in engineering beyond getting a mentor? Take advantage of opportunities to learn the basics of disciplines other than your own. More often than not, design and construction projects include multiple disciplines of work. The better you understand each of the disciplines, the more effective and efficient you’ll be at managing the projects by being able to plan ahead, anticipate potential issues, and resolve problems that arise. You don’t have to be an expert in everything, but being familiar certainly helps.

Please tell me about a time in your studies or career when it was hard or scary and how you navigated that. Each time I’ve changed jobs has been a hard and scary experience for me. Whether it was a major change such as when I was deciding to leave the Air Force or a smaller change of simply taking on a promotion, the decision was difficult and the uncertainty associated with the change was scary. Is it the right decision? Is it the right time? Am I ready for this change? Each time, I’ve found that discussing it with friends, family, and mentors who I trust has proven extremely beneficial and has helped me clearly think it through and to be confident with the decision. I constantly remind myself that it is important to embrace the challenges and consider them opportunities that push my comfort levels resulting in growth.

What’s the most surprising thing about NPS? NPS needs good engineers! Most people don’t realize the opportunities that exist, but many of the parks have positions for engineers and there are even more opportunities in regional offices and the Denver Service Center. It’s a great way to work for the National Park Service while using your engineering degree.

What advice can you offer to college graduates as they begin their job search? Consider starting your career with the military and joining Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) if you’re still early in college or Officer Training School (OTS), if you’ve recently graduated. I participated in Air Force ROTC while attending Purdue University and became a civil engineering officer upon graduating so I didn’t have to go through the job search process. My experiences in the Air Force gave me a great foundation for my career and provided valuable leadership and management opportunities early on that put me a step ahead of many of my peers.