Victoria Blackwell (Vic to most) is a Professional Environmental Engineer, environmental justice practitioner, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) Human Resources partner who works at the intersection of engineering services and the social and historical contexts of the people for whom those services should be designed. Her work expands organizational capacity to align core values of inclusion and collaboration with business strategy and formal practices/procedures across disciplines and staffing levels. Vic brings an openness and authenticity into any setting to create a space of deep curiosity and respect from which complex (and at times sensitive) issues become more accessible for collaborative workshopping.
Vic facilitates the review of current practices through the lens of understanding the layered values, concerns, and inequities of people; those realities have a central importance to create sustained solutions and measurable improvements with specificity. Her work does not provide “turn-key” solutions, but instead curates the processes and toolkit to build equity into the foundation, the walls and the furniture of any organization or design process.
Vic is invigorated by making contributions to increase equity in the distribution of opportunities, resources, access, and overall dignity felt by folks who engage with the created systems of our society. Because of that she’s worked as a coach and advisor for employee resource groups, a strategic partner for engineering design and with municipal governments in devising equity guidelines, and as a teacher bringing new levels of awareness to multi-disciplinary project teams. She is committed to the work of DEI in whichever form and through whatever industry it is presented.
Vic holds a Master of Engineering in Environmental Engineering from Pennsylvania State University-University Park and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University.
