WTS Oklahoma 2024 Award Winners
Woman of the Year: Jennifer Bullard
Member of the Year: Shannon Hudson
Employer of the Year: CEC
Woman of the Year: Jennifer Bullard
Jennifer Bullard is one of the two women construction engineers at the Oklahoma
Department of Transportation (ODOT). She is one of thirteen total within the Department.
Within the construction division at ODOT, there are few women that hold a position such as
Jennifer. She works in an industry that is majority male and that does not impact her in any
way. She is empowered to be a construction engineer for one of the demanding districts at
ODOT. Jennifer represents leadership within ODOT, especially within the field districts. She
demonstrates high moral character and personal integrity.
Jennifer currently serves as the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Oklahoma Chapter as the president. She is also a member of WTS for 5+ years and always makes time to attend the monthly meetings. She serves as a leader inside and outside the Department and for the transportation cabinet.
Jennifer is a mentor to young female engineers that go through ODOT’s rotation program. She assists these engineers by providing knowledge and experience of not only construction-related items, but of all necessary items for their success at the Department. Daily, she continues to educate the next generation of engineers for their success, ODOT’s, and the transportation industry. Jennifer is a well-respected engineer, and the younger engineers follow her to District 8.
Member of the Year: Shannon Hudson
Shannon is a member of the founding board for the WTS OK Chapter and has served on the board since 2016. She has painstakingly represented the WTS OK Chapter through the SW Region Council during her entire tenure serving on the board. This position was new to WTS and has molded into various forms throughout her time in the position and she has never wavered in trying to bring value and dedication to it. Shannon collaborates with other members inside the Oklahoma Chapter and the other Chapters within our region to bring back best practices and lessons learned so that our chapter can serve it’s members and the women in our industry to the best of its ability. Shannon is a mentor, when needed, but is also always receptive to learning something new that can better the organization.
Shannon is an advocate and excellent role model for our younger members. Shannon is also involved in numerous other organizations which has allowed WTS to collaborate with new groups and broaden our membership base. She advocates for the mission of WTS in these other organizations and brings us together in doing so.
Employer of the Year: CEC
CEC is a multi-discipline engineering firm serving both public entities and private developers on projects that include several different forms of transportation. CEC has worked hard to establish, develop, and build a company culture that is focused on serving others, not just in the communities in which we work but also internally among our staff. CEC understands the importance of women in the workforce and has made it a priority to employ, support and promote women in the transportation industry. The advancement and investment into the growth of the women at CEC is apparent through the emphasis on training courses and presentations that are offered to CEC women to increase and strengthen their skillsets as well as corporate policies created to help alleviate job issues historically faced by female workers.
The following list exemplifies a few of the ways CEC goes above and beyond to foster an
environment of inclusivity where everyone is positioned to thrive.
- Offering quarterly female-led and female-oriented book studies.
- Sponsoring WTS Oklahoma and encouraging membership participation for all team
members.
- Promoting webinars and continuing education directed towards women throughout the
year.
- Offering paid maternity leave, parental leave, flexible work-schedules and telecommute
policies.
- Encouraging staff to become involved in leadership positions, not only in the industry, but
in the community by supporting local organizations of the team member’s choice.
CEC’s focus is to eliminate aging infrastructure and drive community growth through
innovative and collaborative engineering design. CEC’s purpose is to Get Stuff Built Right® in Relationships, Communities and Families which goes beyond the focus of the projects that we design and personally invests in our team members and their families. CEC is dedicated to living out the corporate values of humility, honesty, self-control, and generosity.
Molitoris Leadership Scholarship Winner: Ms. Wanying Zheng
Ms. Wanying Zheng is a junior studying civil engineering at Oklahoma State University. She currently works for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and plans to pursue a career in bridge design after obtaining a master’s in structural engineering. Some of her achievements include being a founder of the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers chapter at OSU, serving as an officer for Chi Epsilon Honors Society, and being a Regents Distinguished Scholar.
Sharon D. Banks Scholarship Winner: Ms. Erika Zachman
Ms. Erika Zachman is a junior at the University of Oklahoma where she is studying Aviation Management with a minor in business. Her interest in aviation began at a young age when she would fly to summer camps across the country. Throughout her time at the University of Oklahoma, she has been involved as an executive member of the American Association of Airport Executives - Sooner Chapter, a peer teaching assistant, and a member of greek life. Erika aspires to pursue a career in airline management. When she is not busy studying or traveling, she enjoys playing golf, horseback riding, and hiking.