Courtney Furman graduated from Portland State University in 2012 with a Masters of Science in Civil Engineering. She now works as an Assistant City Engineer at the City of Tigard. Previously, she was a Principal Engineer and Senior Project Engineer at the City of Tigard, Traffic Engineer at Clark County, WA, and Transportation Engineering Associate at DKS Associates.
What do you do in your current role, and what does a typical day look like?
I work closely with Tigard’s City Engineer and help support the engineering team. Each day at the City looks different and there are always opportunities to get involved in many types of projects. I enjoy the variety of work, ranging from leading my own projects, supporting teammates with their projects, assisting with private development, responding to community members traffic questions, and working closely with public works maintenance staff. The most rewarding part of my job is helping to make improvements in Tigard that help community members safely travel for their daily needs.
How did your experience at PSU shape your path into the transportation field?
The research that I worked on at PSU in collaboration with City of Portland helped me understand the connection between transportation and health. This gave me great insight into the impact of transportation choices on community members and how these options can positively or negatively impact their daily trips with the variability in travel time, safety, and air quality on any given route. This experience helped me move towards my path to public service.
What advice would you give to current students or recent grads interested in a career in transportation?
Take every opportunity that you have to learn and try out different areas of focus to find what you are most passionate about. Keep asking questions and learning new things!
What’s one project or accomplishment you’re especially proud of in your career so far?
I recently led the City of Tigard to adoption of a Safe Streets Action Plan. This will guide the City’s actions and investments to improve safety on streets for people walking, biking, taking transit, and driving in Tigard. This plan was centered in the Safe Systems Approach and fundamentally shifts to a comprehensive strategy including many city departments for implementation. This project is a key milestone in Tigard’s commitment to eliminating fatal and serious injuries. I look forward to implementing key safety projects and safe streets strategies in close collaboration with Tigard teammates.
