Fertenbaugh Joins McGill as Funding Services Manager
After nearly 14 years working for the State of North Carolina, we are excited to announce that Christyn Fertenbaugh, PE, recently joined McGill as Funding Services Manager. Christyn is passionate about protecting the environment by helping improve the infrastructure of water and wastewater systems. Throughout her career, Christyn held various roles, including enforcing compliance, reviewing water and sewer designs, and issuing water and sewer permits, along with managing funding for infrastructure projects.
Career Dedicated to Improving Systems
Christyn’s passion for the environment drove her career choices, centering around infrastructure. After graduating from the University of North Carolina – Charlotte and earning a degree in civil engineering with a concentration on environmental engineering, Christyn went on to obtain her Master of Science in Environmental Engineering with focuses on groundwater hydrology and engineering in developing countries from the University of Notre Dame.
She began her work with the State as an environmental engineer primarily working on Lead and Copper Rule compliance. She was then promoted to a plan review engineering position, providing technical engineering reviews of water supply system design plans, and then was promoted again into a position as the lead engineer overseeing all collection system permitting programs, statewide. Most recently, in her role as an engineering supervisor, Christyn guided the development and implementation of North Carolina’s Viable Utility Reserve program by leading the Viable Utility Projects Unit.
When asked about what she enjoyed most from her experience, Christyn did not hesitate to discuss her desire to help smaller systems: “My entire focus for nearly three years was promoting the viability of water and sewer systems in North Carolina. It takes a lot of patience, perseverance, and honesty to get buy-in from small communities to help them move forward.” Through her and her team’s work in the viable utilities program, Christyn was able to assist local governments in meeting their project milestones to keep projects advancing.
Beyond her daily responsibilities, Christyn has also held many volunteer leadership positions throughout her career. She served as the government relations chair for the American Society of Civil Engineers North Carolina Eastern Branch for over five years and led the North Carolina Waterworks Operators Association Seminars Committee as chair and co-chair for several years. Christyn has written several professional articles and has presented numerous times on various topics, including the Lead and Copper Rule and the viable utility reserve program.
McGill’s Funding Program – From Start to Finish
Shaping communities is at the core of what McGill does, which includes supporting communities’ most pressing infrastructure needs. Often this includes securing funding to move a project forward. Over the last ten years, McGill has secured over $409 million in funding for 328 projects. We are continuing to build upon this success by adding Christyn’s funding experience to our firm. Christyn will lead McGill’s team of funding professionals and will assess each community’s needs, evaluate funding options, submit applications for consideration, and oversee grant administration.
RJ Mozeley, McGill’s Financial Services Manager, stated: “There is no part of the funding or infrastructure cycle that McGill has not handled. Christyn is increasing our horsepower on all of those fronts with her experience, and she will bring even more expertise to our clients’ projects.”
Right Project, Right Time
Christyn advises communities to plan for their futures and be ready for the next wave of challenges. When asked what advice she would give to local governments around funding, Christyn shared, “You must think critically about your infrastructure needs. It’s not only about what needs to be done but what is the best project to do at the right time with funds available. Not everything is fundable with grants and not everything is affordable for a community. Doing the right project for your system at the right time is critical.”
Reach out to McGill to Discuss Your Funding Needs
If your community would like to discuss a project or learn more about McGill’s financial services offerings, reach out to RJ Mozeley at rj.mozeley@mcgillassociates.com or 828.328.2024. Read more about the consulting services that McGill offers here.
