Meet The Team: Jessica Allen

Congratulations Jessica on 2 years with Keystone! Read more about Jessica and her career at Keystone. 

What made you interested in becoming a Civil Project Manager, describe your career path!

My first job after college was as a water resources engineer down in Baltimore.  My projects involved new highway design which is very linear and predictable.  After a couple of years, I realized it was not exactly what I wanted to do, so I started exploring other fields of civil engineering.  I switched to geotechnical engineering for a few years and then got into site design and land development.  This was a lot more exciting, as it involves LOTS of aspects of the civil field – everything from road design to stormwater and every site is completely different.  I learned about Keystone working at a design firm with Bill Briegel in several communities as a sub-consultant.  That connection ultimately opened the door for employment at Keystone. 

What is your favorite part of your job?

I love that the work I do here not only helps people build their dreams locally, but I really love that my work helps families across the globe through Hope International.  It’s amazing that putting a stamp on a plan in Pennsylvania can help improve someone’s life on the other side of the world.  It also helps that I work with some really fantastic people here.

What is your Favorite floorplan?

I built 2 homes with Keystone before working here – an Ethan in 2012 and an Augusta in 2019, but my current favorite is the Nottingham.

Advice to other women considering civil engineering!

In a male-dominated field like civil engineering, it’s essential to believe in your abilities and knowledge.  It’s important to embrace your skills and be confident in your work.  Your unique female perspective and ideas will contribute to making the field more diverse and innovative.  I feel very proud when I look around at shopping centers, neighborhoods, bridges, and highways that my work helped create (and am sure to annoy my friends and family when I remind them EVERY time we drive by).

Fun fact about you!

I spent a summer sailing on the Corwith Cramer, a 134-foot steel brigantine tall ship, doing research for the Sea Education Association and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute during college.  I thought about continuing on in the maritime industry to eventually captain a ship and explore the world, but ultimately I opted for civil engineering as it offered a more secure and stable future – and it’s just so much cooler (haha).   

Interested in joining the KCH Team? Learn more about life at Keystone Custom Homes and apply here.