I grew up in the New Orleans, Louisiana area, but have been a resident of Texas since 1994. I received my Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette (then University of Southwestern Louisiana – Ragin’ Cajuns) in 1988. I received my commission as a 2nd Lt in the USAF through AFROTC and entered active duty in the summer of 1988 as a Bioenvironmental Engineer. My first 6 years of active duty were spent as a Bioenvironmental Engineeer providing oversight for occupational safety and health, radiation safety, and environmental protection at two operational fighter wings. My last 3 years of active duty were spent managing environmental cleanup at various Air Force sites including the missile assembly site at Air Force Plant 44 in Tucson, AZ.
In the summer of 1997, I transferred from USAF active duty into the Air Force Reserves and moved from San Antonio to Austin to attend graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin where I received a Master of Science in Water Resources Engineering in May 1999.
I spent the next 15 years working for CDM-Smith, initially as a Water Resources Engineer supporting municipal clients in Central Texas with modeling of water distribution, wastewater collection, and stormwater hydraulic modeling and planning. In 2008, I transferred to the federal side of the company to provide client service and project management of military design and construction projects.
During that 15 years, I was activated wtih the Air Force reserves 3 separate times. The first was for a year after the events of September 11th. I supported Air Forces Central (AFCENT) Command to address a variety of engineering and bed-down needs with a focus primarily on environmental considerations associated wtih establishment of military forward operating bases in the Middle East and Central Asian States. The next period of active duty was for 5 months in 2008 to backfill for a deployed Civil Engineer Squadron Commander in Mississippi. The third period was for 5 months in 2012 to backfill for the AFCENT forward-deployed Civil Engineer who was forced to retire early, leaving a gap in service at the AFCENT forward headquarters in Qatar.
It was shortly after my deployment in 2012 that I was asked to take on a 2 year active duty assignment in California to support Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) with a multi-facility renovation. Because of the duration of this assignment, I chose to resign from my private sector job. I supported AFSPC until the Fall of 2015 when I was selected for a new reserve position, back to part-time reserve duty.
In Jan 2016, I moved back to San Antonio and was hired by the San Antonio River Authority as the Engineering Department Manager, a position I held until Mar 2019. Once again, Uncle Sam came calling. I was asked to return to extended active duty to lead the rebuild of Tyndall AFB in Panama City, FL following it’s destruction by Hurricane Michael in Oct 2018. I led this $4B design and construction program until Feb 2021 when I reached high-year tenure in the military and had to retire.
I continue to do a bit of consulting, but spend most of my time with a variety of professional organization and board volunteer work. I would like nothing better than to join the board of the San Antonio River Authority and serve my community in helping to keep the rivers safe and clean.
Patrice 4 SARA 