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Who is Jane Smith?

A Professional Engineer Licensed in Connecticut working out of HRP’s Farmington office. A mom of two boys who keep her busy with everything from sports to games of chess. An avid reader. A traveler. A musician (piano and once-upon-a-time the French Horn). 

Born and raised in Canada, Jane studied at the University of Saskatchewan where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and Bioresource Engineering. 

Your next question might be “how does an individual living in western Canada end up in Connecticut of all places?”

For Jane, that’s still a good question. Ultimately, after working in Canada in the business management field, then conducting Phase 1 investigations across the province, her decision to relocate to Connecticut had a whole lot to do with a desire to expand her technical experience and explore an area of the country she had never been.

“At the time I was applying for jobs everywhere – all across Canada and into the United States,” Jane recalls. “I hadn’t really traveled the eastern part of Canada or the United States, so when the opportunity in Connecticut came about, I took it. I came to Connecticut in 2001 with a five year plan to return to Canada, but instead I met my now-husband, put down roots, and have been here ever since.”

After 20 years in the environmental and stormwater industry in CT, connections brought Jane to HRP, and she’s coming up on three years at the company this summer. When she started at HRP in June of 2021, Jane worked part time on stormwater inspections through CT, MA, and NY (check out the blog Jane wrote on A Day in the Life of a Stormwater Inspector), and over the course of the first year was slowly fit into other projects, work that included State and US Army Corps permitting and preparing various construction work plans.

“When I was about a year in, I sat down with Richard Kochan (Principal & Director of Operations) and we discussed my future at HRP. I was transitioned into a full-time member of the Engineering Team in the Farmington office, and the scope of the work I was involved in started to grow,” Jane says. “A lot of what I’m working on now at HRP is still in the stormwater realm – helping with permitting and writing stormwater pollution plans. But I’ve started getting involved in more projects that fall on the civil side of engineering. I’ve worked on various site plans, hydrology analysis, and tank pad designs. I try to help out wherever I can.”

Her time at HRP has made her realize two things: that HRP takes on interesting and challenging projects, and that the company has singled itself out as a great place to work.

“After so many years of working in the industry, you realize it isn’t just about the work,” Jane says. “It’s about the people you work with. I find the camaraderie that we have in the Farmington office, and throughout the company, is one of the things that makes HRP a stand-out place to work.”

Outside of her regular duties at HRP, Jane is also involved with HRP’s Women’s Employee Resource Group or WERG. The WERG is dedicated to providing all women a supportive and inclusive space to openly share common interests, concerns, and help each other whenever possible.

“I’m a part of the leadership team as the Vice Chair of the group,” Jane says. “We develop content and plan events across the office for both ‘members only’ and non-members, regardless of gender. Right now we’re looking forward to March (Women’s History Month), and busy preparing for our annual Women’s Panel event. I’m excited about this year’s speakers, who are from across HRP and bringing with them a wide range of experiences to discuss our theme of Women in Industry.”