“Be yourself! It’s okay to be a lady in construction, yet still be competent, dedicated, committed, efficient & effective, and strong. I am proud to say that, in my construction Resident Office, I supervise a total of 28 people, in which 7 are women.” - Eleanor Encinas
Eleanor was born in Long Beach, CA, and raised in Los Angeles, CA with her parents, two sisters and brother. She graduated Woodrow Wilson High School in June 1986. After graduation, her father suggested that, since she was good at math and sciences, to consider engineering as her college major.
She attended East Los Angeles College from 1986 thru 1989, as a Civil Engineer major, then transferred to Cal Poly Pomona. She worked part-time in college as a CADD draftsperson in a small engineering firm. In June 1992, she graduated with honors, with BS in Civil Engineering. After graduation, she joined the US Army Corps of Engineers, in the Engineer & Scientist Intern Rotational Program for 18 months, rotating thru Planning, Design, Geotechnical, Hydrology & Hydraulics, and two different construction field offices.
After completing her internship, she was offered a permanent position in Construction Contract Administration Branch. Her primary responsibility was to negotiate construction change orders and claims. After two years, she accepted a promotion to Construction Management. After another two years, she accepted a transfer to Environmental Construction Branch, as a Project Engineer. She was responsible for the day-to-day administration of various HTRW-type remediation projects, including EPA Superfund projects and various UST removal projects. In 2000, she accepted a promotion to Resident Engineer, where she spent three years in Military Construction.
In 2003, she transferred to Southern California at Prado Dam, CA in Civil Works. In 2006, she transferred to another Resident Office, where she is currently assigned.
