Laurel Welch at the ASCE headquarters in Reston, VA

Urban is pleased to announce that Laurel Welch, EIT, has been named vice president of the South Jersey Branch of the New Jersey Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Ms. Welch is a member of Urban’s highway group in Cherry Hill.

“It is an honor to receive a leadership position in our local chapter of ASCE, one of the most important organizations in the engineering industry,” Ms. Welch said. “In my new position, I plan to continue supporting the organization’s mission to provide essential value to our members and partners in South Jersey, and serve the public good.”

In addition to her new position, Ms. Welch recently began her second year as vice president for the branch's Younger Members Forum, which aims to enhance career development and promote leadership among younger branch members. At the ASCE Region 1 Assembly earlier this year, she became co-chair of the new Student Member Support Committee which seeks to engage student chapters and encourage their transition to full membership after graduation. 

Ms. Welch has technical experience in various aspects of highway design. Her duties include drafting engineering plans, designing ADA-compliant facilities, writing preliminary engineering reports, and assisting with quality control for plan submissions. She also conducts field work, such as traffic counts and inspection of walks for ADA compliance. She is proficient in many software packages, including MicroStation, GEOPAK, AutoCAD, MATLAB, SolidWorks, and Adobe Photoshop. Ms. Welch graduated from the University of Florida, where she earned her degree in civil engineering.

The South Jersey Branch of the New Jersey Section of ASCE was officially established in 1975. The Branch includes Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties and all portions of Burlington County south of Spur Route 528 (now called Route 670) and west of Route 206. The branch started with six original members and has grown to nearly 700 members today.