Jennifer D. Mariani
Jennifer Mariani, PhD, is the Founder and CEO of Charistech Engineers & Consultants, LLC, a systems engineering firm she launched in 2017 to deliver high-quality, value-driven solutions in the transportation, engineering, and construction sectors. Under her leadership, Charistech has built a reputation for its process-based systems engineering management approach, helping clients successfully deliver complex transit and infrastructure projects. Jennifer provides hands-on leadership across the firm’s headquarters in Oceanside, California, and its satellite office in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jennifer’s career spans aerospace, defense, and transit, beginning with advanced research in computational fluid dynamics, including Navier-Stokes equations, turbulence modeling, and vortical flow analysis. She later transitioned into the defense and transit industries, where she found her professional passion in systems engineering, systems assurance, and quality management. Prior to founding Charistech, she held senior roles supporting major transit agencies and projects, contributing to requirements management, QA/QC programs, technical specifications, and large-scale infrastructure initiatives. She holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from University of California, Davis and a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with postdoctoral research experience at NASA, and a Lecturer at UC Davis. Guided by her faith and a strong commitment to service, Jennifer is passionate about mentoring the next generation of engineers and building organizations rooted in integrity, excellence, and purpose. She also actively supports charitable causes focused on helping women and families, reflecting her belief that leadership is ultimately about service and impact.
• Postdoctoral research at NASA
• UC Davis Lecturer
• University of California, Davis- Ph.D.
• University of Michigan- Master's
• California State University, Northridge- B.S.
• 2024 Top Rail Asset Management Services Provider
• 2023 Top Rail Asset Management Services Provider
• Who's Who in Science in Engineering
• Patricia Harris Fellowship Award, UC Davis
• International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)
• Construction Management Association of America
• Salvation Army
• Hope for Today
What do you attribute your success to?
I'm a Christian, I'm a believer, and that's what I attribute my success to. I feel like we're called beyond ourselves. It's not all about me, it's about how you can contribute to society and leave a legacy. My faith in God just kind of helped me have that compass, or that drive to just keep doing. I wouldn't do it for myself, but for God I do it, because it makes sense to me.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
When I was leaving my postdoctoral post at NASA, my boss gave me this card that said 'a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' It's an old Chinese saying. I thought they'd want me to come back or give me a better position, but instead they said good luck. What I took from that is you don't always know what the end is, but if you just take that first step, then it will be revealed to you, and then you look around and the next step will come up. It's not like a one-shot deal that from point A to point B you have to know everything right off the bat. I did not know anything right off the bat, I just took the first step. I didn't take failure seriously.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You don't always know what the end is, but if you just take that first step, then it will be revealed to you, and then the next step will come up. You don't have to know everything right off the bat. I did not know anything right off the bat. The other thing is don't be afraid to fail. I don't know how many times I've failed, and you just get up, you just do it again, and you learn. I also found out that my biggest failures are the ones that gave me my biggest success. You've failed because you're passionate about it, but you don't know how to do it yet, but then if you figure it out, then it'll be the biggest success.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in the field is its male-dominated nature and the lack of mentoring and succession planning, but this also presents a major opportunity to intentionally train protégés and build the next generation of leaders.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are faith, service beyond myself, passing on knowledge to others, perseverance through challenges, and being a thoughtful steward in how I give and serve.