PENSACOLA, Fla. – When Elizabeth Graham, PE, joined DRMP, an inspector she had mentored followed her. He wanted to keep learning from the leader who had taken the time to help him grow. His decision speaks to what colleagues and industry peers consistently recognize in Graham: a leader who invests in people, builds trust and brings the same desire to learn to every stage of her own career.
That combination of technical expertise, leadership and service has earned Graham a distinction unprecedented in DRMP’s history. She is the firm’s first team member named one of Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) Texas & Southeast Top Young Professionals.
Graham, DRMP’s Construction Services Northwest Florida area leader and senior project engineer, is one of 30 professionals selected from 160 entries for the 2027 recognition. The program evaluates professional experience and education, career and industry leadership, and community service and involvement. Honorees will be featured in ENR’s February 2027 issue.
“Elizabeth makes the people and projects around her better,” said Erica Jernigan, PE, DRMP’s senior vice president and construction services director. “She combines technical knowledge with thoughtful leadership and helps introduce the next generation to our industry through Northwest Florida Construction Career Days. I’m proud to see her receive this well-deserved recognition.”
For Graham, helping someone grow begins with understanding what they want to accomplish and where they need support. She makes time for those conversations and encourages the leaders within her group to give their own team members the same attention.
“It can’t just come from one person,” Graham said. “It has to trickle all the way down.”
She continues to seek that guidance herself. Since joining DRMP in 2022, Graham has learned from leaders including her mentor, Robby Walker, CCM; Ryan Pellarin, PE, CCM, Florida Construction Services leader; and Jernigan. Participation in the 2025 class of the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute expanded that circle, giving her opportunities to learn alongside engineering professionals from across the state.
“Liz’s recognition reflects what we see every day: She works incredibly hard, takes care of her people and clients, and leads by example,” Walker said.
Graham’s willingness to learn also informs her work with clients. Beginning her career as an inspector gave her firsthand knowledge of construction conditions and the coordination needed to resolve challenges. That field experience has helped her earn the confidence of clients and contractors as she has taken on greater responsibility.
Today, she leads construction engineering and inspection (CEI) operations across Northwest Florida, overseeing transportation projects and developing the engineers and inspectors responsible for their delivery. Her experience includes highway improvements and the restoration of coastal infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Sally.
The connection to that work is personal. Graham grew up in Crestview, earned her civil engineering degree at Florida State University’s Panama City campus and has spent the past decade in Pensacola. Her career has allowed her to help deliver infrastructure in communities she has known throughout her life.
When a project presents an unfamiliar challenge, Graham draws on relationships throughout the industry, including professionals at other consulting firms. She is willing to ask who has encountered a similar situation and what they learned from it. The priority, she said, is finding an answer that serves the client.
Her investment in the profession extends to those who have yet to enter it. Since Northwest Florida Construction Career Days began in 2018, Graham has progressed from logistics volunteer to event co-chair. The event introduces more than 1,000 high school students annually to transportation, engineering and construction careers through hands-on experiences. She also helps coordinate fundraising and scholarships that support students pursuing opportunities in the industry.
Bringing the event together means leading people from different organizations who choose to give their time. Graham said that experience has challenged her to grow as a leader and strengthened the skills she brings back to her work.
Jessica Francois, owner, president and CEO of Quest Corporation of America Inc., has worked alongside Graham for years. In a letter supporting her nomination, Francois described the character behind those relationships.
“She leads with quiet confidence, listens before speaking, and earns respect through consistency rather than authority,” Francois wrote.
Asked about the approach behind her success, Graham offered a principle she continues to follow herself.
“Always be humble and willing to grow,” she said.
About DRMP
Since 1977, DRMP has earned a reputation as a trusted multidisciplinary civil engineering and surveying firm delivering innovative infrastructure solutions that strengthen communities. What began as a Florida-based surveying practice has grown into a leading Southeastern engineering consulting firm with more than 1,000 professionals across 32 offices.
Today, DRMP’s engineers, planners, surveyors, and scientists partner with state transportation agencies, municipalities, federal clients, and private developers to plan, design, and deliver critical infrastructure. Our integrated services span surveying and geospatial services, civil engineering, land development, and community planning by supporting projects that improve transportation infrastructure and mobility, resilience, and quality of life across the Southeastern United States.
Ranked among Engineering News-Record’s Top 500 Design Firms in the United States, DRMP is recognized for helping clients solve complex infrastructure challenges through technical excellence, innovative thinking, and trusted partnerships.
At the heart of our success is a collaborative approach built on long-standing relationships with the clients and communities we serve. By combining deep technical expertise with responsive service and local insight, we deliver solutions that are both forward-thinking and grounded in the needs of the communities they support. Learn more at https://drmp.com/.
