Anna Kotas, P.E.
Position: Technical Sales & Business Development Professional
Company: GeoTesting (GTX)
Years in her industry: 21
Education: B.S. in Geological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan
As a young child in 1987, Anna and her sister were taken out of their native country of Poland by her parents to embark on an adventure that now seems the stuff of movies. Under the pretext of going on a family vacation to Greece, Anna’s parents began a journey as political refugees escaping a Communist regime, which controlled Poland at that time. For a better future, they sacrificed their own thriving careers in engineering for an opportunity to better their lives, waiting in Greece for almost four years until a western country granted them asylum. Canada answered that call. The family moved to Saskatchewan, where Anna attended high school and university. In 2000, after earning her degree, she moved to the US. MOXY caught up with Anna to tap her unique perspective.
Why geotechnical engineering?
The Eiffel Tower, the Acropolis, the Great Pyramids — they’re all standing because of sound geotechnical engineering. This expertise provides stability for projects for years and years to come! Before anything is built, our industry is relied upon to drill, soil sample, and analyze the subsurface materials for their strength properties. Then the project can be designed in consideration of the behavior of those materials.
In your more than two decades in the field, have you noticed more women entering your field?
I’m still quite surprised that when I walk into a room of 100 engineers in 2021, I’m still one of only five to 10 other women in the room. I went to school with women who went on to get much bigger degrees than mine and they have left the engineering field. I think that is a tell.
Why do you think this is the case?
I think my colleagues found that it was an industry they couldn’t be a mother in. Others have left for troubling reasons like sexism, discrimination and hostile work environments.
What can be done?
An important part of this profession, especially for the women in this profession, is to give back. If we don’t, who will? I make it my mission to encourage other female engineers, especially younger ones. I lend my time whenever opportunities present themselves in organizations that champion professional women’s causes, Women in Transportation (WTS),Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
What roles have you found yourself in?
I’ve managed civil projects from the earliest phases including site recon, drilling, lab testing, analysis, and report preparation. Looking back at the past two decades, I am particularly grateful for never backing down from even the most mundane, dirty, difficult, tedious tasks. Those were the ones from which I learned about perseverance and strength of character. I rose from the role of staff engineer to branch manager in 10 years, appreciating every lesson along the way…most importantly about effectively working with people. .
What outside of work are you passionate about?
I love to read, travel and make things — from sewing a wedding gown to building a wooden gazebo and many other crafts in between. In addition to three teenage boys, I am a mama to an English Cream Golden Retriever that just happens to be the smartest dog on Planet Earth.