Kimberly Matthews

44, Design Manager, Army Corps of Engineers

In her 16 years serving with the Army Corps of Engineers, Kimberly Matthews has learned how to keep things organized in times of crisis — she was deployed to Texas during response efforts for Hurricane Ike, and to the Florida panhandle during Hurricane Maria.

But work was “definitely different” this March when the design manager responded to a catastrophe in her hometown. Matthews, the corps’ current operations coordinator for the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse response, was tasked with moving the project along.

“We’re used to being in charge,” she said, noting that the Baltimore effort involved several different agencies and contractors working together. That’s where Matthews comes in — her job was to oversee the lines of communication, share updates, collaborate and set boundaries to ultimately move the mission forward.

Her team also had to be sensitive to the collapse being a tragedy, as six people died falling from the bridge when it was struck by a container ship in the early hours of March 26. The crews made sure to do their jobs “with dignity and honor,” she said.

But each little milestone of the response effort — like getting a large piece of truss out of the water, or seeing the first ships pass through — “really encouraged us,” she said.

That’s why Matthews loves what she does: “It makes a difference.”

— Dan Belson