Fellow Grade

Colleen Scholl, P.E., is senior vice president with HDR, an architecture, engineering, and environmental services firm headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. As director of professional services for the Resources Business Group, she leads staff involved in execution of projects for industrial clients focusing on strengthening technical expertise, ensuring delivery of quality products and services, and promoting and leading innovation.

Nominated by the governor of Wisconsin to the State Examining Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, Professional Engineers, Designers, Professional Land Surveyors, and Registered Interior Designers, Scholl spearheads initiatives related to pipeline building, professional training and licensure, and quality not just within HDR, but also within the larger engineering community.

She has spent 28 years working within the energy sector, with nearly 20 of those years with engineering, procurement, and construction firms involved in design, construction, and commissioning of power-generating facilities worldwide. Throughout her career, Scholl has been involved with several mentorship programs including HDR’s Career Skills and NextGen programs, designed for promising young professionals to participate in leadership training for advanced roles within the organization.

Scholl holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering technology from Thomas Edison State University, an M.S. in water resources and environmental engineering from Villanova University, and an MBA in management of engineering and technology from Northcentral University. She is a registered professional engineer in Ohio, Maryland, and Wisconsin and has authored 31 articles in major industrial water and power plant publications.

Passionate about promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, Scholl joined the Society of Women Engineers as a professional member in 2000 and has been involved in leadership roles at the Society, region, and local levels, using her voice and experience to encourage young women in particular to be their authentic selves in the profession and in life.

Scholl has been active on several Society committees. She served four years on the board of directors, including as FY16 SWE president. She is currently the executive sponsor for the HDR Women’s Employee Networking Group that works to develop women as leaders within the company.

She is a founding board member of Lean In Energy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2018 to promote gender diversity and empower women in the energy sector to achieve their ambitions through mentoring, community service, networking, and education. As president and CEO, Scholl grew the volunteer-led organization to a $100K annual operating budget with global membership and volunteer leadership (U.S., Norway, U.K., Nigeria, and India) and maintained fiduciary and legal responsibility for nonprofit entity and for licensing and trademark agreements.

A SWE life member, Scholl lives in Whitewater, Wisconsin, with her husband, Mark, and two furry feline children. In her free time, she enjoys scuba diving and spends as much time as possible exploring the unique underwater world.