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Matthew Chang, Principal

 

I am a professional engineer, husband, father, and servant of Christ. Throughout my career I have worked to develop multiple types of expertise.  I have accomplished this by working within multiple worldviews, in different countries, states, in different fields, in different companies, as for profit, as non-profit, through service, and by developing a commitment to continuing education.

 

I have practiced my professional career in a range of domestic locations including Georgia, California, South Carolina, North Carolina, Iowa, Tennessee, Washington, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, and Florida. International experiences have increased my ability to perform independently; I have learned how other cultures deal with problem solving, decision making, business negotiations, and team consensus building. I have supported and completed engineering projects in China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Ireland, France, and the United Arab Emirates. 

 

Continuous learning is a way of life driven by curiosity, not degrees on a wall. My curiosity has motivated me to complete multiple levels of corporate training, obtain a professional engineering licensure, accreditation as an environmentally conscious LEED professional, become certified as a general contractor in multiple states, and to be an avid student of history and "how things work.”  My formal degrees include:

Georgia Tech - Bachelor's of Science in Civil & Environmental Engineering

Jacksonville University - Executive Masters of Business Administration 

 

My personality type is ENTP, Extroverted Intuitive Thinking Perceiving. ENTP's are a relatively rare personality type that is marked by the proclivity to solve complex problems (known as advanced pattern recognition) and the desire to act as a change agent within an organization (known as a champion of change). By combining formal engineering training with my personality I have the ability to deliver transformative innovation for companies and see a path to success in even the most complex projects, programs, and corporate initiatives. I have yet to be involved in a project within the last 10 years that hasn’t made a mark in people’s everyday lives and made the world a little better in the process.  A lot of people think I have the coolest job in the world, I tend to agree with them.

I want to be a servant leader in the way that Christ was and I want to lift up even the lowest around me with love, compassion, and respect. I took a course called Servant Leadership when I was first learning how to be a middle manager. The title sounded cool, but it never really connected with me. I heard a trainer telling new managers that they should ask their team and subordinates "What can I do for you?", but I don't ever recall being asked that question by my superiors. Maybe they didn't get the training! Years later, as I was training to minister to middle-school and high-school youth, I took a course on servant leadership through the lens of Jesus Christ. It then hit me like a ton of bricks, the course I had taken years earlier was based on the actions and teachings of Christ, but the religious references had been scrubbed from the course to make it an acceptable secular teaching course. I want to lead with the heart of a servant every day, in the model exhibited by Christ. 

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Kate McAfoose, Program Manager

 

I was born and raised in upstate New York where I spent most of my summers on my grandfather’s dairy farm learning the value of a hard day’s work and faithfulness in the Lord.  I believe both my faith and my work ethic can be attributed to the leadership and guidance of my family.  I now strive to live those values outwardly, on a daily basis, in both my professional and personal experiences.

I studied Civil Engineering at Syracuse University, which led me to Florida, where I have worked both as a professional engineer and project manager on a diverse portfolio of projects, ranging from pavement structures in Fort Lauderdale to a beverage facility in Singapore.  With each new project, I have learned how to work with a multitude of different cultures, styles and opinions, and always towards a common goal and success for all involved.

When I am not inundated with the demands of being a working mother to two young children, I strive to seek out opportunities to serve in my community, as a mentor to young people, usually through our church or school.  I hope to provide the next generation with the tools and the values that were instilled in me and equip them to succeed in their futures.

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