The Journey Home
Irene Higgs, executive director of the Sun Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization in Arizona, navigated a non-traditional career path and now goes from pumps to steel-toed boots in 15 minutes.
Irene was Snowflake, Arizona’s first female FFA president in 1984.
Twenty-three. That’s how many times Irene Higgs moved with her family between third grade and high school. Her father was a cattle rancher, foreman, and farmer always looking for the next opportunity anywhere within their home state of Arizona. Irene especially remembers the town of Snowflake. Her parents bought a homestead ranch with no running water, electricity, or indoor plumbing. Higgs, a junior in high school at the time, did her homework by kerosene lamp. It was 1983
Home life was wholesome and nurturing. The family would gather in the evening to talk about the day; Dad subscribed to the newspaper and might report on what was happening in the world; Irene would listen to Casey Kasem on the radio when she could. But outside the soft, comforting glow of the homestead, Irene struggled. “I didn’t fit in,” she said of the predominantly Mormon community.
“I considered dropping out of high school because I was so far behind. I had to take classes that weren’t required at my previous school. So I had to catch up. It was overwhelming. But I was very active in FFA [Future Farmers of America]. That was one of my saving graces. I remember going to the state fair representing Snowflake in dairy judging. I took first place. And I was ‘in’! That was the thing that broke the ice. I was then completely accepted.”
To help prevent Irene from dropping out, her FFA advisor took it upon himself to meet with the high school guidance counselor. He arranged for Irene to be his teacher's aide, and then allowed her to use that time to study and catch up. Everything worked out — Irene graduated in 1985 and served as Snowflake’s first female FFA president. “That’s where my leadership started,” she affirmed.
Today, Irene is tenacious as ever and can claim a successful 17-year (and counting) career in transportation. She is currently executive director of the Sun Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), which provides transportation planning services to the cities of Casa Grande, Coolidge, Eloy and rural portions of Pinal County, and covers 1,155 square miles, with an estimated population of 130,000.
Irene has been instrumental in reducing pedestrian fatalities by helping to facilitate installation of pedestrian hybrid beacons (PHBs). When a mother was killed crossing a road with her daughter after multiple fatalities had been reported at that same spot, Irene raised her voice. “I went to ADOT and said, ‘Listen, we had another fatality; we have to do something.’” ADOT advanced the installation of the PHB, and there has been not one fatality since.
“That brings me such joy and peace,” said Irene. “It’s my dream job. I absolutely love it — getting to help these communities,” she emphasized. “Our federal funding comes from the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). Then we help the cities and county fund their transportation projects.”
Unexpectedly, Irene came to the industry by way of retail management. At age 18, she married and moved around with her husband, who was in the Navy. Irene had many jobs — she scooped ice cream; she was a supervisor at McDonald’s, an arts and crafts manager for an MWR (Morale, Welfare, & Recreation centers provide free and discounted recreation to military personnel and their families). After her husband left the Navy, the couple moved with their daughter back home to Casa Grande, Ariz.
“It was hard for us, getting out of the Navy,” Irene said. “It was not easy to find jobs.” When West Point-Pepperell opened its store in Casa Grande, Irene applied for a retail clerk position because “[they] were desperate.” Within two months, she became a supervisor, and within two years she ascended to store manager. When an opportunity for even more growth potential opened at the flagship West Point-Pepperell store in Alabama, the family moved again. Soon Irene was a district manager. “I was working long hours, traveling to set up stores and assist stores that were in trouble,” Irene explained.
Then a near-tragic event occurred that completely changed the course of her career.
It was an important day at Irene’s homebase store in Alabama. All of the store managers from across the US convened onsite for an all-hands meeting, store site visit, and training. Finally, after a 15-hour day, it was time to go home. “I had a head-on collision right in front of the store,” Irene shared.
During recovery, she and her husband decided: After five years in Alabama, it was time to return home to Arizona. “I wanted to change careers and be closer to family,” Irene said. She applied for a job at ADOT and was hired into the traffic engineering group handling the on-call consulting program for traffic engineers. “It involved budgeting, writing letters, reviewing contracts. I had done all that in retail. I took a $30,000 pay cut. It was pretty scary, I’m not gonna lie.” But Irene had moxie and it paid off.
“I got in there and learned as much as I could,” she said.
And she took the advice of her first boss at ADOT: “Interview every single day of your life.” Irene attended a meeting on behalf of her boss and answered a question that no one in the room could answer. In a few weeks, she received an offer for another job working on a process improvement initiative within ADOT. She excelled in this role, too, eventually becoming the manager of the highway safety improvement program for local agencies. “I got to work with all the Councils of Governments and MPOs in northern Arizona, getting federally funded projects delivered.”
Irene’s grit, determination, work ethic, and ADOT experience culminated to unveil her dream job. “I go from pumps to steel toed boots in 15 minutes,” Irene laughed. “Suddenly, I'll have a mayor with a traffic signal that’s acting up and receiving multiple complaints. I’ll stop what I’m doing and go to the site to evaluate the traffic signal with ADOT. City government has one vision: to help improve their community, and I absolutely love that.”