College of Engineering Award Recipients
Young Alumna of the Year Award
STEPHANIE GOPLIN OLSSON, P.E., P.T.O.E., ENG '00
Menomonee Falls, Wis.
Two years after graduating from Marquette with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Stephanie Olsson co-founded her own traffic engineering specialty company, Traffic Analysis & Design Inc. Today, with offices in three states and clients including private development and the state and federal governments, the firm has twice been listed among Inc. magazine’s fastest-growing U.S. companies.
Stephanie’s secret? Customer service. “In this field, it’s imperative to be extremely responsive to your clients’ needs and follow through on commitments,” she says. “We have a great team of engineers and technicians that make the company exceptional.”
Speaking of exceptional, Stephanie lauds Marquette for giving future engineers real-world experience before graduation.
“The College of Engineering has an amazing Co-op Program,” she says. “I got my first traffic engineering job that way and made many exceptional contacts whom I still speak with frequently. Marquette also does an excellent job of introducing students into professional networks.”
And Stephanie has certainly made the most of those networks, serving as affiliate director of the Wisconsin chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers and a member of Chi Epsilon, the civil engineering honor society.
Long term, Stephanie would like to teach at the college level. She already has a good start — she’s a guest instructor at Marquette, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and through work.
“My favorite part of running my business is teaching and mentoring young engineers,” she says. “I find it very rewarding to see what others can achieve.”
Fun facts: Stephanie’s favorite quote is from Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton: “Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.” She’d love to have dinner with NBA coach Phil Jackson.
