Jeffrey S. Berk ('88, Civil Engineering)

Jeffrey S. Berk

Senior Vice President, AECOM

BS Civil Engineering, Cal Poly Pomona, 1988

MS Civil Engineering, Loyola Marymount University, 1993

Jeffrey S. Berk’s engineering inspiration began at a young age, as he helped his father build things around the house. With this experience, during high school Jeffrey created a small construction company. After he nearly lost his thumb using a table saw, he reevaluated his future.

“I decided that it might be safer to become an engineer like my dad and work towards a degree in civil engineering,” Jeffrey concluded.

He first attended community college, then transferred to Cal Poly Pomona. The summer before his senior year, Jeffrey’s first engineering job was working on a project near the California-Mexico border. He assisted with designing and building a pump station and pipeline to capture water from the most polluted river in the nation, conveying the water to a holding pond, adding chlorine, and taking samples every day.

The firm was so impressed with the practical skills Jeffrey obtained at Cal Poly Pomona, they hired him after he received his degree. Over the next 28 years, Jeffrey gained diverse experience working for various consulting, manufacturing and service organizations. Ultimately, he landed at AECOM and advanced to his current position of senior vice president.

Jeffrey urges students to focus on their interpersonal skills, as well as their engineering skills. “There are many great technical engineers who can solve difficult problems. If you can also communicate, manage