Amanda Klinesmith

Background

About Amanda Klinesmith

As a kid, I grew up with a father and a brother who were engineers in spirit, just not in title. My dad worked through positions at Delta Airlines working on jet engines to becoming the lead Communications Technician in southern Wyoming. My brother always had a knack for numbers. To this day he casually does calculus in his head like the rest of us add two and two. Our conversations always end up with complex problems of some of the most mundane things. Something as simple and silly as a deck built on the back of a new house ends up with hours of talking over a couple of beers as we figure out how to optimize every little detail. My passion for engineering hit new heights when I returned to college to test my mettle in the Civil Engineering program at University of Wyoming. Having worked through multiple management positions at several retail companies, dialing in on how to be a great student and leader was much more natural for me through that experience. My enthusiasm for leadership, organization, and inclusivity is one I inherited from my mother. The crowning achievement of my time at the University of Wyoming was saving a project designing a water system for Comunidad Maya De Nueve De Enero in Guatemala. The implementation was almost scrapped, but we were able to save it and turn it into one of the chapter's most successful endeavors. My favorite aspect of engineering is that it is happening all around us all the time. Engineers create the things we use every day so seamlessly that we do not consider the minds behind the design. There is a whole hidden world of engineering happening around us all the time. We are the next generation of leaders in this field, and I feel excited and incredibly honored to play my part. I love nothing more than leading passionate people in difficult projects. I thrive in the moments of presenting work to people in ways they can understand. I thrive in high pressure and organizing a plan for successful project completion. The process is so much more than just numbers, it is about confidence and excitement. I carry this with me every day. Now I can say I am an engineer (in training) in title! From building a deck to a water system and everything in between, I am thrilled about the next chapter in my life and how much we can accomplish in the future.