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the Houston area in a limited role and is supporting the transition of NAK to WSB,” Weiss says. When WSB acquired NAK, it allowed WSB to expand its footprint and build brand awareness in the Houston area because clients trust her. Following the acquisition, Kennedy shared her expertise and the extensive network she had established in the Houston region over the past decades. “She’s faced many challenges along her tenured career, but they never got in the way of her building one of the most successful, black, female- owned engineering firms in Texas.” In 1959, Kennedy was the first black woman to receive an engineering degree from a college or university in Texas. After beginning her engineering career designing highway bridges throughout the Midwest, she brought her technical precision to Houston in the 1980s, designing bridges for the widening of Interstate 10. She founded NAK in 1981 and, as her firm completed bridge design on the majority of Houston’s freeways, she nurtured young talent into the next generation of engineering stars – one of her protégés even participated on a team that in the 1990s set standards for bridge girder design in Texas. Committed to advancing the engineering profession, Kennedy has served on the Texas Turnpike Authority Board of Directors and on advisory committees for Texas Southern University, the University of Houston Downtown, and her own alma mater, Prairie View A&M University. NAK was founded as a consulting engineering firm to work with government, institutional, and commercial clients to deliver practical solutions for highway, mass transit, street, bridge, aviation, port, water and wastewater, educational campus, and sports complex projects and has been an integral part of teams charged with delivering major building programs. For example, it was part of the $324 million first- ever light rail system for the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County and Houston’s three professional sports arenas.
It has also helped master plan teams to conceive solutions for multi-building complexes such as the $3.2 billion Port of Houston Bayport Terminal and university campuses. In 2006, Prairie View A&M named a building in her honor, the Nathelyne Archie Kennedy Building, which houses the School of Architecture and Art. Kennedy has also been honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration with their prestigious Minority Business Woman of the Year Award and by U.S. Black Engineer as Entrepreneur of the Year. Today, she continues to audit drawings for the firm’s most complex projects. “It’s really been an honor to be recognized for the accomplishments I’ve achieved over my 55-year engineering career,” she says. “It’s always humbling to know you’ve made a difference and I’m so proud that my experience and journey has inspired other women to pursue engineering degrees and explore entrepreneurship.” She says that overall, her journey has been a rewarding one, mostly having to do with the people in it – staff and other engineering colleagues – but also accomplishing what she was not so sure was possible in the beginning. “It has given meaning to my life and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished,” she says. “She’s one-of-a-kind and deserved to be recognized for her impressive career and advocacy efforts over the years. She’s a true role model and an example of great strength and tenacity.” Kennedy believes that awards such as the Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award will influence others to help young entrepreneurs reach their full potential in their chosen careers. She also hopes to see more women heading up their own firms. “I’m honored to be a recipient of this award and to be in the company of so many successful and admirable award winners,” she says. Weiss was equally thrilled that Kennedy
LOCATION: Houston, TX
YEAR FOUNDED: NAK was founded in 1981. ACQUISITION: NAK was acquired by WSB in 2019. SERVICES ■ ■ Civil engineering: NAK provides a comprehensive range of civil engineering design services covering all aspects of infrastructure. ■ ■ Structure and Bridge
Design: NAK offers full-service design capabilities for new construction, rehabilitation and repair of existing structures. Management and Master Planning: Large building programs often entail a multi-disciplined team overseeing the complete design and construction effort. We have been an integral part of teams charged with delivering major building programs such as the $324 million first-ever light rail system for the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County and Houston’s three professional sports arenas. We have also aided master plan teams to conceive solutions for multi-building complexes such as the $3.2 billion Port of Houston Bayport Terminal and university campuses.
■ ■ Program
See A TRUE ROLE MODEL, page 8
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UNE 13, 2022, ISSUE 1444
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