About Michelle patton, pe, cfm

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Michelle is a highly accomplished Licensed Professional Engineer (Texas) and Certified Floodplain Manager with 29 years of comprehensive experience in civil engineering, blending extensive technical design expertise with proven leadership and business management acumen, further strengthened by an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business. Holding a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University, her career demonstrates a consistent trajectory of growth, managing and delivering complex infrastructure projects for a diverse range of clients including municipalities, counties, state agencies (TxDOT), private developers, and industrial facilities across Texas.

Beginning her career in the mid-1990s as a Graduate Engineer in Houston, Michelle gained foundational experience contributing to projects like the City of Houston's Safe Sidewalk Program, demonstrating early involvement in ADA compliance, grading, and drainage improvements. Early exposure to large-scale infrastructure included preliminary design work for TxDOT Houston District's Grand Parkway extension, focusing on hydraulic analysis and innovative stormwater storage solutions, and contributing to the design-build delivery of the 92-mile State Highway 130 Toll Road for TxDOT Austin District, where she led the design of toll plazas and performed hydraulic analysis for frontage road drainage systems.

Transitioning into project engineering and management roles in the early 2000s with firms like S&B Infrastructure, CP&Y Inc., and Klotz Associates Inc., Michelle took on increasing responsibility for managing roadway reconstruction and expansion projects. Notable projects during this period in the Houston area include the reconstruction and widening of major thoroughfares like Hirsch Road, Parker Road, and the Fuqua Road Overpass, as well as the new construction of TC Jester Boulevard for Harris County. These projects involved managing complex design elements including roadway geometry, underground storm sewer systems, hydraulic and detention analysis, utility adjustments, and floodplain mitigation. Experience also extended to projects in surrounding areas like the Barry Rose Road reconstruction in Pearland and the Barker Cypress Road improvements for Harris County.

A significant leadership phase began in 2010 when Michelle joined Maverick Engineering, Inc. in Corpus Christi as Infrastructure Group Manager, a role held for over seven years. Here, she was responsible for establishing a QA/QC system, leading business development efforts that secured over $1 million in new contracts for the group, managing staffing decisions, and overseeing departmental profitability. Key projects managed during this tenure include the reconstruction and widening of County Roads 52 and 69, the urban reconstruction of Tuloso Road and Santa Fe Street, ADA improvements across the City, and the Creek View Drive extension. This period also saw diversification into industrial and private sector projects, such as managing the design and analysis of parking facilities and stormwater systems for Flint Hills Resources, fire water pipeline rehabilitation for the Port of Corpus Christi Authority, hydraulic analysis and permitting support for numerous Pioneer Natural Resources well sites in Karnes County, and managing creek crossing designs for Enterprise Natural Resources in Lavaca County, showcasing expertise in HEC-RAS modeling and floodplain analysis.

In 2017, Michelle brought her extensive experience to the public sector, serving as a Senior Project Manager for the Harris County Engineering Department for nearly three years. In this capacity, she acted as the County's representative, overseeing design consultants on major capital improvement projects, including the multi-phase expansions of key corridors like Cypress North Houston Road, Clay Road, and Greenhouse Road from two-lane roads to four-lane boulevards with complex underground drainage.

Subsequent roles included Project Engineer at Zarinkelk Engineering Services, contributing to significant projects like the 14th Street Drainage Improvements for the City of Galveston involving large box culverts and a pump station, and serving as the Texas Director of Operations for Landplan Engineering. As Director, she led the Texas office, managing the engineering team, spearheading business development, overseeing staffing, and ensuring the office's profitability, while also providing design support on projects like the TxDOT US 380 expansion.

Since August 2023, Michelle has leveraged this wealth of experience as the Owner of MPCE, LLC in Cypress, TX, offering expert civil engineering consulting services built on nearly three decades of successful project delivery, technical proficiency, and strategic leadership in the Texas infrastructure landscape.