Woolpert engineer to lead water, transportation strategy for Texas market
(WO) — Professional Engineer Sam Talje has been promoted to lead Woolpert’s South Region, where he will direct the firm’s water and transportation strategy for the Texas market. Talje has more than three decades of civil engineering design, construction project, program management, leadership, and budget planning experience, both in the private market and with public agencies.
Talje came to Woolpert through CivilTech Engineering, which was acquired by Woolpert in 2021. Talje served as an Executive Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer at CivilTech, a multidisciplinary engineering firm with offices throughout Texas. Talje specialized in drainage design and flood-risk management, with extensive experience in dynamic hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, civil infrastructure design, and capital improvement planning for urban watersheds and transportation improvements.
Previously, Talje served as Director of the Water Resources Department for the Texas Department of Transportation, where he directed planning, design, engineering, construction, and survey staff for over two decades. In this role, he developed and managed all interlocal agreements between TxDOT and other governmental agencies on joint venture drainage and roadway design engineering and construction projects.
Talje highlighted Woolpert’s technologies across markets as a draw for this role and a huge benefit for the region.
“Woolpert’s added capabilities for the South Region in the geospatial and federal markets will allow for us to compete on many coastal resilience projects,” Talje said. “All the new technology positions us against our top competitors and allows us to be stronger teaming partners.”
“Sam provided consistent, progressive leadership prior to and throughout the integration of CivilTech into Woolpert, both internally and externally,” Woolpert Vice President and Director of Operations for Infrastructure Bryan Dickerson said. “His elevation to the role of market director for our South Region will benefit clients and Woolpert staff across the country, positioning us for further advancement, innovation, and success.”
“The need for new and improved infrastructure throughout Texas is clear, and we have built a team to support everything from highway programs to airport improvements to broadband expansion to drinking water system upgrades,” Woolpert Chief Operating Officer Kirk McClurkin McClurkin said. “Sam’s leadership empowers Woolpert to expand its reach, establish robust partnerships, and offer state-of-the-art solutions to our valued clients.”
