One word to describe yourself: Dedicated
Alma Mater: University of Pittsburgh
What’s your best experience on transit and what made it memorable? I recently utilized Bay Area Rapid Transit in San Francisco, and it was such a wonderful experience. Not only was it safe and efficient to travel from the airport to downtown San Francisco, but it was also easy to use to get around the city itself.
Adam R. Walkowiak started his career as a construction associate and has spent the last decade working primarily on freight and passenger rail projects, including cost estimating, scheduling, constructability and construction management/inspection. He previously served as the lead construction project manager for the Carolina Connector project, which won AREAM’s Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence in 2022. He now serves as the director of rail construction services at Michael Baker International, currently leading the Transforming Rail in Virginia Program as the construction program manager.
While at Michael Baker International, Walkowiak developed an internal early career professional program. As part of this program, he helped lead the pilot program for mentorship, which was adopted as a corporate initiative. He has also been involved in numerous leadership development programs, co-leading a community impact project which identified and assisted a local municipality for community engagement and enrichment.
Walkowiak holds a master’s degree in construction management and continues to be involved in higher education. He’s currently teaching a construction methods and equipment course at the University of Pittsburgh that covers rail construction and execution methods in the curriculum.
He’s also involved with industry associations, including American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association, North American Maintenance Railway Club, National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association and Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), presenting annually at leadership events. He holds a national committee role with CMAA.
Outside of work, he consistently volunteers support in FC Bridges, the Pittsburgh Promise and the Rukmini Foundation. He helped raise over $7,500 in donations for the Rukmini Foundation to rebuild a school in Nepal, India, after a heavy monsoon season destroyed the existing school. There is currently a brick at the school in honor of the donation.
Is there a specific experience that led you to where you are today?
Although I did some cost estimating and constructability reviews on some passenger stations early on in my career, it wasn’t until my first full-time, on-site rail project in 2014 that set me down the path of focusing primarily on freight and passenger rail clients and projects.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy the people and projects I work on. I consistently get to meet and work with new and amazing people. All the projects I've had an opportunity to work on have been both unique and challenging. Also, the best part about projects is being able to see how they benefit the community and public when completed. It is very unique and exciting to be able to ride the metro and watch the project unfold as I commute to our office.
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
Each project I work on presents a unique challenge, but I think the most challenging is ensuring that the design and construction can overcome barriers of progress such as permitting, environmental issues, funding and unforeseen conditions.
What is the accomplishment you’re most proud of and why?
I would say the accomplishment I'm most proud of is winning the William W. Hay award in 2022. This was an extremely challenging project to complete on budget and schedule during the pandemic. The success of this project ultimately opened the door for my current project that is a partnership between public transit and freight railroads to increase passenger and freight capacity through an extremely congested corridor in Virginia.
What is an accomplishment you would like to work towards in your career?
Currently my focus is on accomplishing growth for our group, so we can continue to work on larger and exciting projects.
What is your best advice/tip/best practice you can share from your area of expertise?
I would recommend to anyone early in their career to never pass up on an opportunity for growth and also to polish your soft skills, as these are invaluable in coordinating and collaborating on large projects.
About the Author
Megan Perrero
Editor in Chief
Megan Perrero is a national award-winning B2B journalist and lover of all things transit. Currently, she is the Editor in Chief of Mass Transit magazine, where she develops and leads a multi-channel editorial strategy while reporting on the North American public transit industry.
Prior to her position with Mass Transit, Perrero was the senior communications and external relations specialist for the Shared-Use Mobility Center, where she was responsible for helping develop internal/external communications, plan the National Shared Mobility Summit and manage brand strategy and marketing campaigns.
Perrero serves as the board secretary for Latinos In Transit and is a member of the American Public Transportation Association Marketing and Communications Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism with a concentration in magazine writing and a minor in public relations from Columbia College Chicago.