- One work to describe yourself: Tenacious
- Alma Mater: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Fun fact about yourself: I enjoy training for and competing in triathlons. Before I was old enough to take transit by myself, my parents would allow me to ride my bike short distances by myself and I’ve loved riding ever since.
- Favorite station or stop that you have ever visited or frequent: My favorite station is the Normal, Ill., Uptown Station which is served by Amtrak, Connect Transit and other intercity bus providers. Uptown Station is the anchor of Uptown Normal and symbolizes how much progress a community can make when they passionately pursue a vision to improve their community.
- Favorite route you have ever ridden or frequent: My favorite route is the CTA Brown Line. I grew up in Chicago and taking the Brown Line to or from school on my own was my first taste of independence growing up.
After earning her degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Carrie Desmond began her career at WSP USA. During her six years with WSP, she led planning, design, construction and transition to operations work as the passenger train station task manager for the Chicago-St. Louis High Speed Rail Program. These efforts contributed to the construction or rehabilitation of six passenger rail stations now in operation along the corridor.
Since joining Metro Transit in 2018, Desmond has led design work for one of its most significant capital projects and championed efforts to expand opportunities for women in transportation. Co-workers describe her as an enthusiastic and knowledgeable team member who is eager to take on new challenges. As a principal engineer at Metro Transit, Desmond guided significant improvements to the agency’s Heywood Garage and managed the design of a 350,000-square-foot garage that will house around 200 buses beginning in 2023.
She has also been a leader in Metro Transit’s efforts to transition to a zero-emissions fleet. She helped oversee the installation of charging equipment to support the agency’s first eight electric buses, put into service in 2019, and now serves as the agency’s resident expert for electric bus infrastructure. She regularly shares her expertise with internal stakeholders, board members and industry peers, and she serves on APTA’s Electric Bus Charger Procurement Standards Committee and regularly participates in the Zero Emission Fleet Committee.
In addition to her technical acumen, Desmond has been a leading voice for women in transportation. She serves as membership director for WTS Minnesota and led efforts to make Metro Transit a corporate member of the group, extending benefits to employees across the organization. She partly credits her career in transit to WTS. In college, she received WTS scholarships and attended a WTS conference where she was impressed by presentations on large transportation projects, cultivating her interest in transit. She’s an active member of Advancing Women in Transit, an employee resource group that supports and promotes female-identifying employees at Metro Transit.
In the wake of George Floyd’s 2020 killing, Desmond was inspired to organize a collection of needed household items and non-perishable food to distribute to communities impacted by civil unrest. She’s a strong believer in the power of mentorship and building a strong network to help one another. For nearly two years, Desmond supervised an engineering intern assigned to Metro Transit’s electric bus pilot program, and she regularly shares her knowledge with associate engineers in her department. Desmond grew up in a car-free household in Chicago, where she regularly rode transit to school and other destinations.
Is there a specific experience that led you to where you are today?
I was fortunate to receive a WTS scholarship during my undergrad which included attendance at the annual conference. I distinctly remember attending a presentation about a project to expand the London Underground for the Olympics and thinking to myself how exciting it would be to contribute to a growing transit system. There were a lot of additional steps along the way to where I am today, but in a lot of ways I credit the beginning to WTS.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
My favorite thing about working in this industry is being able to go around a community and see projects I played a role in delivering that are now in service. I am reminded of this every time I see an electric bus on the Metro C Line in Minneapolis. It is humbling to know that projects I worked on will serve riders for years, and in some cases generations, to come.
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
I manage complex projects that are often first of their kind for the agency. In this space there often is not a precedent to draw on and typically there is a very large group of diverse stakeholders. Building consensus and steering everyone towards a common goal can be very challenging but also can be highly rewarding.
Accomplishment you’re most proud of and why?
In 2017, I was recognized as the WTS Chicago Chapter Member of the Year for my work as Scholarship Director for the chapter. I credit the start of my career to a WTS scholarship so being recognized for my team’s work to give back to the next generation of students was incredibly meaningful to me.
Best advice/tip/best practice to share from your area of expertise?
My best advice is to remember that there is always more to learn. My favorite way to learn is on a construction site or in an operating facility observing how something is built, maintained and operated. I look for opportunities to shadow peers to learn what they do through their eyes. Doing this helps me deliver a better product for the people that will use it when my portion of a project is complete.
