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Jonathan Heusel, PE, CNU-A, arrived at Lubbock Christian University uncertain of his future career path. It was his roommate—a civil engineering student— who inspired him to pursue civil engineering, ultimately shaping Heusel’s nearly three-decade career working on a variety of projects across Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas. 

 

What drew Heusel to civil engineering was its tangibility: “Civil engineering is more hands-on than other fields. You get to see your projects come to life right in front of you,” he explained. 

Since relocating from Texas to Oklahoma in 1998, Heusel has played a role in some of the region’s most significant projects, including the Wheeler District and the transformative Project 180. 

 

“Prior to Project 180, downtown Oklahoma City looked nothing like it does now. If you worked downtown, you were racing out of there at five o’clock,” Heusel recalls. “That’s not the case anymore. By converting one-way streets and focusing on walkability, that project really made downtown the destination it is today. ”

 

Heusel recently joined the Transportation team at Parkhill as a senior practice leader based in the firm’s Oklahoma City office. With more than 75 employees spread across four offices in Oklahoma, Parkhill is well known for its work in aviation, water, site development and surveying, and Heusel is excited to be a part of growing the transportation division. 

 

Heusel’s career has been marked by a diverse range of challenging projects, including interchange and safety projects with Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. As he approaches his third decade in the industry, Heusel finds fulfillment in mentoring the next generation of engineers: “Training and developing younger staff—helping them work through the challenges they’re facing—it’s rewarding,” he said.

 

Involved with Open for Business Oklahoma (OFBO) since its inception, Heusel enjoys the opportunities OFBO provides for both advocacy for engineering practices and outreach opportunities for students. “I was one of those small-town kids who didn’t really know much about engineering, and that’s our target audience with OFBO projects like ‘Think Like an Engineer’ curriculum and supply drives,” he said. “It’s important that outreach like this exists to help spark interest for these bright young minds who might be future engineers.” 

 

It’s the wide variety of opportunities within the industry that makes it easy for Heusel to recommend his career path to the younger generation. “There’s a lot of facets to engineering,” he said. “You can choose to draft, design and create and have a great career doing that. You can also choose the relationship-building and management route.”

 

While Heusel isn’t a native Oklahoman, after nearly three decades, it’s safe to say he’s earned honorary Oklahoman status. He and his wife raised three kids in Oklahoma, and they’re excited to welcome their first grandchild in June (another Oklahoman). Giving back to the communities where he raised his family is one of the reasons Heusel finds joy in what he does.

 

“This industry is about building bridges, both figuratively and literally,” he said. “I enjoy the opportunities to meet new people and to collaborate with team members with different skills and expertise. Working together with clients, surveyors, landscape architects, structural engineers, electrical engineers, and stakeholders to listen and create collectively is akin to assembling a complex, multidisciplinary puzzle."