Kara M. Johnston Honored With EBC Ascending Leader Award

BROOKLINE, Mass.—CDM Smith's Kara M. Johnston, PE, PMP was recently honored with the Ascending Leader Award from the Envi­ron­men­tal Business Council (EBC) in recognition of her profes­sional achieve­ments, contri­bu­tions to the industry and dedication to service.

The award recognizes young profes­sion­als in the energy and envi­ron­men­tal sectors who demonstrate exceptional leadership and industry involvement early in their careers. Recipients are leaders within their own orga­ni­za­tions, often acting as mentors to junior staff, providing thought leadership on critical issues, and leading teams on large-scale projects. They also represent their orga­ni­za­tions through partic­i­pa­tion in industry asso­ci­a­tions and committees, supporting the growth of the envi­ron­men­tal and energy sectors.

Johnston is a project manager and project technical leader in CDM Smith's Boston office. She started with CDM Smith as an intern and began her profes­sional career in 2013, and subse­quently earned her PE license in 2016 and PMP certificate in 2020. She works on a variety of projects in the water sector, with a focus on wastewater conveyance planning and design projects in Mass­a­chu­setts. 

Johnston is actively involved in the New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA), and currently serves as the vice-chair of the NEWEA collection system committee.

"I am very appre­cia­tive of the Envi­ron­men­tal Business Council for honoring me with the EBC Ascending Leader Award!" said Johnston. "I feel privileged to be among the other outstanding profes­sional award recipients and to follow in the footsteps of past CDM Smith award recipients."

Indeed, Johnston is the third CDM Smith engineer to be named an Ascending Leader by EBC, following Angela Moulton in 2018 and Colleen Heath in 2020.

"Kara is an amazing and aspiring young leader," said CDM Smith principal and envi­ron­men­tal engineer Mary Mancini, PE, BCEE. "With her intuitive mindset and commitment for excellence and positivity in all she pursues along with her compassion to serve the greater good, she is in an inspiration to others regardless of one’s career or path in life!"

The Envi­ron­men­tal Business Council of New England (EBC) was established in 1990 by envi­ron­men­tal and energy company executives who began meeting on a regular basis to exchange ideas and share experiences. The EBC was the first orga­ni­za­tion in the United States established to support and foster the development of the envi­ron­men­tal industry. The goal of the EBC is to enhance business and job growth of both established and emerging envi­ron­men­tal and energy businesses.

CDM Smith provides lasting and integrated solutions in water, environment, trans­porta­tion, energy and facilities to public and private clients worldwide. As a full-service engineering and construc­tion firm, we deliver exceptional client service, quality results and enduring value across the entire project life cycle.