Civil and environmental engineering adds new award-winning faculty member
Monica Sartain brings expertise in project management and leadership in local and state ASCE.
Shelby Bratcher |
New Assistant Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering Monica Sartain is seen in the red T-shirt on her first mission trip with Lipscomb, to Guatelama, in January.
The Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering has welcomed Monica Sartain, a licensed professional and distinguished engineer, to their faculty. Sartain comes with 20+ years of industry experience, especially in project management and involvement with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), of which Lipscomb has a student chapter.
Prior to joining Lipscomb in August as an assistant civil and environmental engineering professor, Sartain significantly contributed to the Nashville we see today through her position at Patriot Engineering and Environmental, from 2011 to 2015.
Sartain became the first female branch manager for Patriot upon opening their Nashville office. During her time with the company, Sartain completed work with the Nashville Music City Center, Center Hill Dam and the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital at Ft. Campbell.
After leaving Patriot, Sartain served as the chief operating officer at Power Consulting Associates until her arrival at Lipscomb. While at PCA, Sartain made executive decisions and maintained partnerships with the company’s major clientele.
Today, she is excited to teach students how to excel in project management and to join Todd Lynn as co-faculty advisor of the ASCE student chapter, which competes in the concrete canoe and steel bridge competitions as well as other activities in the annual student conference.
The ASCE is an organization that Sartain has been involved in for years. In 2013, she was awarded the Outstanding Young Civil Engineer in Private Sector Award by the Eastern Regional Younger Member council. In 2021 she was named the Distinguished Engineer by the Nashville branch, and was awarded the Daniel B. Barge Award for Distinguished Service by the state ASCE.
In 2012-2013, Sartain served as the Nashville branch president for ASCE. She has also served as the chair of the state ASCE’s Infrastructure Report Card Committee since its initial development in 2009. The Report Card is a statewide, collaborative effort to evaluate the infrastructure needs within Tennessee.
Sartain is also excited to be involved in the Peugeot Center for Engineering Services in Developing Countries and has already led a mission team in January to Guatemala to provide clean water to roughly 150 homes serving approximately 1,000 people spread out over three communities. She believes Lipscomb engineering missions are the “perfect mix of vocation and faith.”
“I think one of the most overlooked aspects of the engineering profession is the positive impact we have on society,” said Sartain. “Most people look at us as the geeky, nerdy types, without thinking about our contributions to society, fresh drinking water, electricity, etc. I'm passionate about bringing those aspects to light to the public and students.”
Sartain graduated from Virginia Tech University with her Bachelors of Science in civil engineering with an emphasis on environmental engineering. In 2019, Sartain went back to school to attend Trevecca University and to obtain her Master of Business Administration.