Laura Switaj
Project Manager
Summary
SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT MANAGER Leadership with integrity.
Persuasive communicator with ten years of experience, knowledge, and skills to achieve the right projects for the right process at the right time. An inspirational project team manager, practical planner, and organizer who thrives in a diverse environment nurturing continuous improvements in principle negotiations to create processes that exceed Global, Federal, and State regulatory frameworks.
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Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
4
4
Certifications
Work History
Asset Manager
Engineering, EVERSOURCE
Hartford, CT
03.2021 - 06.2022
- Ensured sustainability of the Electric Transmission assets across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire by providing system reliability consult to Capital projects from inception to completion
- Fostered safety compliance and processes to ensure performance according to OP16 guidelines, NEC, ASME, ANSI, and
- IEEE regulatory codes; while issuing reports to ISO New England, the North American Transmission Forum, and the
- Electric Power Research Institute for RFP documents, monitoring, Bidding, and Permitting of Capital projects
- Implemented Capital project inception with the tri-state System Planning, Engineering, Project Management, Telecom,
- Operations, and Management teams, which deliver amplified redundant systems for collecting and managing Capital asset project data, life-cycle planning, and risk analysis strategies
- Managed matrix analytics and reporting functions to improve Capital project program costs and scheduling durations to provide professional guidance and aid optimization of performance for operational and sustainable capital projects.
Mechanical Designer
Nuclear Energy, ZACHRY
Stonington, CT
08.2019 - 02.2020
- Generated Civil, Structural, and Mechanical Engineering drawings and records for the maintenance of Nuclear facilities utilizing custom Design platforms integrated into MicroStation and ProjectWise software to converge projects
- Enhanced safety compliance standards to provide guidance and aid in the improvement/optimization of performance for operational and sustainable capital projects
- Fostered efficient practices and processes by simulating custom designs and strategies to ensure upgraded performance per NEC, ASME, ANSI, and IEEE regulatory codes
- Assigned actions to deliver amplified redundant systems with site protection sustainability plans using isometric layouts,
- Bills of Materials, schedules, detailed designs, 3D Models, electrical circuit schematics, and engineering data for drainage, power generation, and HVAC project analysis.
Senior Electric Transmission Designer
NATIONAL GRID
Waltham, MA
07.2015 - 04.2019
- Executed electrical, civil, and structural engineering drawings/documentation for 115kV-450kV transmission and substation capital projects integrated into AutoCAD, PLS-CAD, ProjectWise, SharePoint, and MicroStation software
- Upheld safety compliance, permitting requirements, and streamlined stakeholder needs per ISO-NE, ANSI, AMSE, NEC codes for impact studies, RFI and RFP processes, and ISO-NE submittals
- Revitalized specifications, estimates, and schedules to mitigate project risk, designs, and tracking, thus addressing incidents, reporting functions that accurately reflect performance, providing professional guidance, aiding efficiency by 90%, and improving performance optimization by 75% for operational and sustainable capital projects to improve
- Directed Product Development meetings to guide solution reviews and technical training, which minimized disruption to critical construction operations and maintenance functions and delivered integrated documentation, models, reports, and verification for effective cadence for the department's Business Continuity Plan to expect a recovery of critical functions within 24 hours.
GIS Electric Distribution Technician
NATIONAL GRID
Providence, RI
11.2014 - 07.2015
- Supervised technicians to achieve integrated deployment of maps and records, providing professional guidance and technical assistance through inter-departmental visual presentation of 16 substations and 15 underground networks
- Deciphered electric distribution capital data in Smallworld, AutoCAD, and ESRI to achieve revamped tie maps for electric grid network in Massachusetts and Rhode Island for tracking projects and outage incidents
- Orchestrated compiled data for Distribution Engineering critical assets to upper management, expediting an upgraded interactive database to initiate and plan upcoming distribution upgrades and generation opportunities.
Solar System Designer
VANGUARD ENERGY PARTNERS
, NJ
06.2010 - 05.2012
- Unified field surveys, permitting, and bidding requirements to orchestrate photovoltaic system designs using AutoCAD and an enhanced Revit platform, which accelerated training and reduced design errors by 80%
- Strengthened Core Values by enhancing a vigorous change management process comparing benefits and costs for each capital project to use resources, completing the Bidding process through RFI and RFP processes that adhere to permitting requirements, and monitoring operational efficiency upon completion
- Streamlined development of work plans, risk management, and material schedules using Microsoft Project and cloud-based installation and monitoring software beyond the Design, Bidding, and Construction phases.
Education
Master of Science - Sustainable Construction Project Management
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Technical Certification, Design - Architectural Mechanical CAD
Porter And Chester Institute - Rocky Hill
Rocky Hill, CTBachelor of Science - Applied Biometry-Toxicology/Geology
Evergreen State College
Skills
- Operational Planning
- Technical Documentation
- Statistical Analysis
- Operational Efficiency
- Regulatory Guidelines
- Critical Thinking
- Configuration and Management
- Project Requirements
- Risk Mitigation Strategies
- Procurement Contracts
- Integration Planning
- Bid Proposals
- Complex Problem-Solving
- Operational Standards
Accomplishments
- Co-created business for dislocated timber workers and youth-at-risk individuals on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, facilitating a self-sufficient and independent business enterprise.Designed an 8 Mega Watt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) project with the municipalities of Somerset County within one year, saving taxpayers an estimated $18.35 Million in energy costs over the next ten years
Charted an enhanced design for multiple corporate PV contracts, including 60 Wall Street, delivered the largest solar PV array in Manhattan, and is currently the highest elevated solar PV flat panel array in the world to decrease carbon emissions by 100 metric tons per year. - Instituted a design and coordination plan for two $1 million Electric Transmission Capital projects within an accelerated six-month schedule, mitigating risk for the local area and improving Capital costs.
- Incorporated a continual improvement model to optimize collaboration to cultivate project effectiveness and efficiency for Business Continuity Plan and innovation product implementation to recover critical functions, inspiring Core Value enhancement.
- Delivered vigorous Asset Management solutions to C-suite board which developed a Transmission Continuity Plan and innovation product implementation to recover critical functions..
Certification
ADDA International Drafting/Design Certification
HAZMAT 40-hour Certification (HAZWOPPER)
LEED Green Associate
Certified Construction Project Manager (CPM)
Timeline
Asset Manager
Engineering, EVERSOURCE
03.2021 - 06.2022
Mechanical Designer
Nuclear Energy, ZACHRY
08.2019 - 02.2020
Senior Electric Transmission Designer
NATIONAL GRID
07.2015 - 04.2019
GIS Electric Distribution Technician
NATIONAL GRID
11.2014 - 07.2015
Solar System Designer
VANGUARD ENERGY PARTNERS
06.2010 - 05.2012
Master of Science - Sustainable Construction Project Management
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Technical Certification, Design - Architectural Mechanical CAD
Porter And Chester Institute - Rocky Hill
Bachelor of Science - Applied Biometry-Toxicology/Geology
Evergreen State College