Worcester Business Journal

O U T S T A N D I N G W O M E N I N B U S I N E S S F O C U S G rowing up in Southbor- ough and then attending college at Lowell Univer- sity, Sandra Brock, chief engineer and vice president at Nitsch Engineering, knew her strong math ability could open career doors. But, she said, she didn't completely know what she'd find behind those doors. "I thought about becoming an archi- tect, didn't know what that was – any of the details," Brock said. "en I decided to be a structural engineer – didn't have a clue what that was. I kind of discovered that it was the engineering part I loved." Ultimately, she realized the path for her would be civil engineering. And, in the three decades that followed, she's played a role in some big and important projects, including the Worcester Re- covery Center & Hospital and Worcester Technical High School. "I can look at so many places that I've had a part in creating them," she said. "It's rewarding when you're working on something that will have kind of a direct contribution to society." Being part of something larger than herself has always been important for Brock. As a young professional, she spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi, Africa. ere, she ran water projects in rural areas in the country's northern region. She got the chance to learn about a different culture and see her own native land from a new perspective. "You learn what it is to be American, the good parts and the bad parts," she said. "In some ways, it helped me to ma- ture probably faster than some folks." Aer returning to the U.S. in 1995, she joined Nitsch, a Boston-based, wom- an-owned firm Judith Nitsch had started just six years earlier. Quickly, Brock took on increased responsibilities and even- tually became a principal shareholder. In 2015, she led the creation of Nitsch's second office, in Worcester. She's also gone from spending most of her energy on technical aspects to playing a key role in managing the business and working with clients and the public. "e longer you're involved, you begin to master the technology part of it — the technical part, designing and utilities, grading," she said. "e thing you can never quite master is the human aspect." As a shareholder and a member of the board of directors' executive commit- tee, she's learned to support the firm's financial health and run a tight ship on governance. And, working on projects mattering to a range of stakeholders, she's developed new abilities in communi- cating with the public. Given the highly Brock leaves her mark on Central Mass. cornerstones Other company locations: Boston, Lawrence and Washington D.C. Residence: Grafton College: UMass Lowell What has been the key to your success? Understanding that when you help others around you to be successful, you become more successful. If you could go back and change one thing, what would it be? I don't believe in going backward, we are who we are because of our experiences. What is your primary motivation? Trying to make the world a better place in some small way. Imagine if everyone did that. BY LIVIA GERSHON Special to the Worcester Business Journal technical engineering work she does, that requires communicating in a whole different language with people who en- gage with a new project coming to their neighborhood in a visceral way. "When someone gets up at a public meeting, that's something that's really important to them," she said. Brock now sees permitting issues from a different side as chair of the Conserva- tion Commission in Graon, where she lives. Maria Mast, the town's conversation agent, said Brock brings both an under- standing of the development industry and state-of-the-art technical knowledge to the small-town board. "She has a great ability to take very specific technical knowledge and break it down in a manner that can be easily understood by the public," Mast said. Brock serves on the town's Commu- nity Preservation Committee and on the board of directors for the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commis- sions. She sees contributing to a well-in- formed, unbiased development process as a way to give back. "Everyone should be involved civ- ically," she said. "Everyone should do something." Beyond sharing the knowledge she's accumulate over the years, Brock said she's eager to keep learning new things. "e best part of my career is finding out that when you get into your 50s and so forth you kind of discover a different side of things," she said. Brock said the technical aspect of her jobs is still an important part of what she does, but she's happy that she can spend time learning to be a good steward of the firm, staffing up the Worcester office, and addressing new challenges. "I know from now to when I retire that I will continue to learn, and that's what makes it so much fun," she said. wbjournal.com | October 29, 2018 | Worcester Business Journal 29 W Sandra Brock, PE Vice president & chief engineer Nitsch Engineering, Worcester 2018 W I N N E R

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