About me
Eileen was born in the town of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus and then her Master of Science in Engineering, with a concentration in transportation, from Mississippi State University. She is the first engineer in her family.
During her college years, she participated as an intern in the Walt Disney World College Program and in the Undergraduate Research Program at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Eileen started her career in 2003 as a research civil engineer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Mississippi. Her work with the USACE included research in the Airfields and Pavements Branch under the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.
In 2006, Eileen changed fields and started working with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. as part of the Aviation group in the West Palm Beach office concentrated in the design and construction of airport infrastructure for commercial and general aviation airports. She became a managing partner of Kimley-Horn Puerto Rico LLC. and contributed to the effort of establishing the first office established in the Caribbean. In 2014, Eileen relocated to manage the office as the Office Practice Leader, overseeing all operations. She also served as the aviation consultant for the Puerto Rico Ports Authority and as consultant and client liaison for the PR Highway and Transportation Authority, and private land development clients. She has also published multiple papers on pavement rehabilitation.
In December 2020, she began a new chapter in her professional career when she was designated by the Governor of Puerto Rico, Honorable Pedro Pierluisi, as the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP for its Spanish acronym). Her role began in January 2021, and she oversees and establishes transportation public policy and leading the 7-agencies under the Department’s umbrella including over 5,000 miles of state roads. Eileen currently leads the island’s transportation agencies under DTOP including the Directorate of Public Works, the Directorate of Motor Vehicles, the Directorate of Excavation and Pipeline Safety, the PR Highway and Transportation Authority, the Traffic Safety Commission, the Maritime Transportation Authority, the Urban Train, the Metropolitan Bus Authority and presides the PR Ports Authority Board of Directors. In May 2021, after Senate confirmation, she became the first woman to be appointed Secretary in the Department’s 107-year history. Her priorities as Secretary include maximizing federal funding to accelerate the island’s transportation infrastructure recovery focused on resiliency and long-term maintenance.
Eileen is a member of the AASHTO Board of Directors, leads the AASHTO Aviation Council, she’s also being a member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Aircraft/Airport Compatibility Committee, led the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Transportation and Development Institute’s (T&DI) Airfield Pavements Committee. She has also served in the Society of Women Engineers’ (SWE) local, regional, and international officer positions as well as the SWE Board of Directors. She is also an advocate for women in STEM fields and has also served in the Women in Aviation International (WAI) Board of Directors and the Puerto Rico College of Engineers and Land Surveyors (CIAPR). Recently she was selected to be part of the USDOT Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee (TTAC) working for the Secretary of Transportation Hon. Pete Buttigieg.
Eileen was named one of Airport Business Magazine’s 2015 Top 40 Under 40, and she has received several recognition awards throughout her career including the first woman to be recognized as “Distinguished Civil Engineer of the Year” by the PR Civil Engineering Institute, SWE’s “New Distinguished Engineer” and Emerging Leader, New Faces of Engineering during E-Week, and PR CIAPR Emerging Leader. In 2022, she was selected as a speaker for the US Department of Veteran Affairs licensed TEDxVeteranAffairs program; her TEDx talk titled: “How Pivotal Moments Shape Our Lives” was recently published on YouTube. She is a licensed professional engineer in Puerto Rico, and Florida.
Eileen is an 11-year Hodgkin Lymphoma survivor and treasures traveling and spending time with her husband and daughter. She also volunteers for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) as a patient advocate. She is a former President of the Puerto Rico LLS Board of Directors and an honored hero.
