Kathryn Wilhelm
Kathryn Wilhelm is a Process/Mechanical Engineer whose specialty is water and wastewater treatment systems in support of green building design and ecosystem restoration efforts. Her position at Bioengineering Group is Vice President of Engineering for the company and manager of Gulf South services through our Louisiana office.
Kathyrn, a self-described math-junkie, believes her experience has prepared her to address the profound post-Katrina environmental and restoration issues now facing her adopted hometown of New Orleans. “It’s almost as if my entire career has been a series of stepping stones to get me ready for this challenge. I am humbled by its importance and enormity, but exhilarated that my team and I can truly help make the Greater New Orleans area better than it has been.”
Kathryn’s remarkable 25-year career began at Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Kansas--no pressure there to be sensitive to protocol! Because of her responsibility for the more than 40 fluid systems including water and wastewater throughout the plant, Kathryn became intensely aware of the importance of quality assurance and safety procedures and set out to develop the first relief systems to avoid dangerous chemical interactions.
Later, at Brown & Root USA, Kathryn honed her skills doing mechanical & chemical process design for chemical refineries and pharmaceutical plants for clients such as Chevron, Ciba-Geigy, and International Paper. It was here that the environmental impact of these plants hit Kathryn between the eyes, seeing both the risk of acute release and the significance of cumulative effects. “Being responsible to design all the systems – from the air to the solids - gave me greater insight into the importance of asking the right ‘what if’ questions. You don’t win popularity contests but you don’t lie awake at night worrying. I’m glad my work with highly sensitive materials has given me the training to address the chemical interactions so we can avoid ecological catastrophe.”
When Kathryn joined Herzog Hart Corp. in Mobile AL, she created their new Process/Mechanical Engineering Department. “I fell in love with Project Management and Object Engineering. Plus, I found a real joy in mentoring people.” She succeeded in supporting creative individuals receiving credit for their contributions and for the general public realizing the value of the entrepreneurial spirit of those engineers and scientists who create tomorrow’s world today. She needed to find a new job when the firm underwent a successful acquisition after a period of tremendous growth fueled by those core values.
Kathryn’s next move to Volkert & Associates brought her deeply into wastewater treatment for municipalities and the Department of Defense. She was one of the first to use the phrase Decentralized Wastewater Treatment and introduced it at WEFTEC conference in the mid 90s. One of her goals is to see Distributed Sewer Design become the wastewater treatment of choice across the globe. Her achievements brought value to her firm and clients, and kudos to Kathryn as she was named ASPE/MACE “Engineer of the Year” in 2002.
Little did she know that when she accepted the directorship of the Mechanical, Water & Wastewater Division at Burk Kleinpeter Inc. in late 2004, she would be at the epicenter of one of today’s most critical infrastructure projects – New Orleans. We are proud to say that Kathryn's Design Team successfully introduced the first design for a key stormwater drainage station to pump to the Mississippi River instead of Lake Ponchartrain.
“I am a survivor, too – I’ve had cancer twice and I’ve beaten it. I am so ready to help New Orleans get back on its feet, too. Now that I’m here at the Bioengineering Group, I know I have the talent at my disposal to do it right because my personal philosophy is same as that of the Bioengineering Group: that interdisciplinary solutions are essential. I believe it’s what sets us apart and allows our solutions to be sustainable. We use natural processes where we can and add technology where appropriate – I find it refreshing to marry the two. If you design it right, the result can withstand the wrath of mother nature as well as the failings of human intervention.”
When not working (which isn’t often), Kathryn can be found enjoying her gardens, swimming in a special chlorine-free pool of her own design, or entertaining friends with good southern cooking at her home on New Orleans’ Northshore. She is also proud of her two daughters – one is in Medical School at West Virginia University with the other is studying vocal performance and education at the University Southern Mississippi.