Meet Lj Francis PE, M.ASCE, Engineer IV-Project Manager, City of Corpus Christi

August 18, 2020

ASCE Texas Section Board of Direction members are asked to fill out a questionnaire so Section members can get to know them a little better. Let’s hear from Director at Large Lj Francis PE, M.ASCE:

How has ASCE helped you in your career?

ASCE has provided an opportunity to conveniently satisfy the professional development hours needed to maintain my professional engineering license.  It has given me a platform for advocacy among my fellow engineers to promote the ethical practice of engineering and ASCE helps to provide the framework for best practices in the civil engineering disciplines.  I am an avid reader of The Society’s monthly Civil Engineering magazine, as well as the Texas Section’s Texas Civil Engineer (TCE) online news, published online bi-monthly.  ASCE is a family at all levels and I like that the members are always willing to help.  This provides me with a wealth of resources that can only be gained from a group of people committed to the same goal; to see the field of civil engineering continually evolve; reaching and exceeding previous goalposts.  Through networking with ASCE members, I have found two mentors who have been particularly instrumental in my progressive career advancements.

What do you love the most about being a civil engineer?

Being on a team that is responsible for building and maintaining the community’s infrastructure and environment—I am so honored to serve in this capacity because it affects generations.

Give us three words to describe what a civil engineer does:

Innovate. Inspire. Evolve.

What is the biggest challenge civil engineers face today?

Engineers are called upon to solve problems.  To become and remain a great problem solver, one must be able to fully understand all the nuances of each problem, propose and execute repeatable solutions. We must also be conscientiously aware of histories and trends and be able to constantly evolve to remain relevant. Civil engineers must also be able to foresee the challenges and be ready to respond as the world’s advisors.

What is your go-to calculator?

I love the TI-89. The best $200 I spent back in 2010 and still have it. I have used it in all my math and engineering courses in which calculators were allowed.  For the PE exam I bought the best approved calculator, the Casio fx-115ES PLUS. I still use both today at work.

What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas, I love the smells of Christmas and eggnog!

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love playing tennis.  If I weren’t an Engineer, I would have loved to play tennis professionally.

Mountains or beach?

Beach. I love the water. Everywhere I have ever lived was within a few minutes from a natural body of water.