Alumni Spotlight: Taileah Hunter

About Taileah

Taileah Hunter is the owner and President of TJ Hunter Engineering, Inc., and a University of Texas at Arlington alumna with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. She is an experienced civil engineer who continues to progress in entrepreneurial excellence and business leadership.

She has a diverse background in design, construction, and traffic operations with over 12 years of TxDOT experience. Her projects include Design-Build MOT, traffic control designs for freeway interchange, rural highways and major interstate freeways, construction management and inspection for complex FM roadways with joint bid utilities, constructability review for major interstate highways, roadway design ranging from converting a rural highway to urban freeway as well as a plethora of other projects.

Notes from Taileah Hunter

What is your greatest professional accomplishment?

I would say my greatest professional accomplishment is becoming a business owner. I opened my own Civil Engineering firm in 2020. Having my own firm allows me to do what I love while giving me the opportunity to help others achieve their engineering goals.

Describe your UTA College of Engineering experience. How did UTA help prepare for your career achievement?

My experience at the College of Engineering was full of opportunities to help me grow on both a personal and career level. I was given the opportunity to participate in summer internships and leadership roles on the campus. The experiences that I gained from these opportunities gave me the tools I needed to decide on my civil engineering field as well as developed my leadership skills.

How did your education in the College of Engineering prepare you for what you are doing today?

Some of the educational opportunities that I believed helped prepare me for my career, were being chosen as the team leader for my senior project and being assigned to work on a transportation project. Participating in these activities gave me a glimpse into what my career could be like. Now I have years of experience as a task lead for several disciplines, which led me to becoming a project manager, and now a president who leads employees on many transportation projects.

What advice would you give current students interested in pursuing a career in your field?

My advice to current students is to not limit yourself when it comes to Civil Engineering. The field of civil engineering is so extensive that you can achieve any goal that you set for yourself. I recommend participating in different internships to see what interests you. You might have a thought on what you would like to do, but internships and connections gained from them can really help guide you during your career journey. For example, you might think you want to do transportation engineering, but after participating in a water resources engineering internship your eyes are now open to many other endless possibilities within civil engineering.