Her Story
About Morgan
Morgan Whited serves as Senior Civil Engineer Supervisor with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, where she has built nearly eight years of experience since joining the department as a civil engineer in transportation. In this leadership capacity, she manages a team of five employees and directs the daily operations of several environmental initiatives, including the Strategic Environmental Management Program, which ensures regulatory compliance across dozens of maintenance sites in a nine-county district, and the MS4 program, which centers on protecting local watersheds, particularly within the Chesapeake Bay region. Her responsibilities also extend to inspecting stormwater control measures on large earth-disturbance projects and coordinating rehabilitation efforts alongside engineering teams.
Morgan's path into environmental engineering was not a straight line — she originally intended to study physical therapy before a physics professor recognized her strength in mathematics and encouraged her toward engineering instead. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering with a minor in Psychology from Saint Francis University, where she was involved in the Phi Lambda Psi Sorority and helped found the university's Environmental Engineering Society. During her time there, she also gained hands-on field experience as the first technical intern for the Center for Watershed Research and Service. Her professional credentials include status as an Environmental Engineer In Training, and she has been recognized with an Innovation Award for developing a mapping system that helps maintenance crews track mowing needs while protecting pollinator habitats.
Outside of her engineering career, Morgan is deeply committed to mentorship and community involvement. She actively supports women entering the field through a Women in Transportation intern program, sharing the lessons she's learned as a woman navigating a male-dominated industry. She also dedicates her time to her local community as board president of her area's youth soccer league and as a coach for her son's team. Driven by her mother's early encouragement and her own determination to prove her value, Morgan continues to advocate for continuous learning, self-worth, and innovation within her field.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Morgan
01What do you attribute your success to?
I was raised by a strong mother who instilled in me the belief that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to, and that foundation continues to drive me today. Beyond that early encouragement, I'm motivated by a personal determination to prove my value in my field and to identify opportunities for improvement. When I see a change worth making and no one else steps forward to suggest it, I make it a point to speak up myself.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
A physics professor once encouraged me to pursue engineering after recognizing my aptitude for math, which ultimately redirected my academic and professional path. Alongside that guidance, my mother's steady encouragement throughout my life has remained one of the most formative influences on my career.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell them to never stop learning, no matter how far along they are in their career, because growth is a continuous process. I'd also encourage them to know their worth and never sell themselves short. Most importantly, they should never allow themselves to feel uncomfortable simply because they are women working in a male-dominated field.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the ongoing challenges is making sure my voice is heard and finding confidence in spaces that have historically been male-dominated. At the same time, I see real opportunity in the innovative work we're doing, such as piloting open-bottom StormTech chambers in culvert replacements to improve aquatic passage, as well as strengthening programs within our district that are already recognized among the best in the state.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Environmental stewardship guides much of what I do professionally, alongside a strong sense of initiative and perseverance. Mentorship is also deeply important to me, as is self-advocacy — both for myself and for the women I work to support and encourage in this field.
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