For Abel, it is all about building relationships — those she has cultivated with others in the industry and those within the communities she serves. Abel brings with her a wide range of experience in the public and private sector. She spent the first nine years of her career working at consulting firms in the Kansas City area and the past 15 serving both large and small municipalities, like Overland Park, Kansas, and Parkville, Missouri. She also brings local expertise gleaned from her years of involvement in community and professional organizations in the region.
“I really enjoyed working in the public sector for so many years and loved having the chance to help communities grow in meaningful ways,” Abel said. “In this new role, I’ll be able to serve several municipalities throughout the Kansas City metro region and across Missouri in the same way, only now backed by a growing Garver Transportation Team that provides a comprehensive suite of services to meet the needs of all communities, large and small.”
Projects that Abel has helped deliver to communities cover the Kansas City metro area, including residential and commercial developments in Overland Park, like the Museum at Prairiefire, and her service to the City of Parkville as the Public Works Director for the past eight years, assisting with constructing the Route 9 Complete Streets Improvements, along with various street, parks, and wastewater capital and maintenance operations projects.
Abel is passionate about her involvement in professional associations on both a national and local level. She has been a longtime member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), serving as President of ASCE’s Kansas City chapter in 2009-2010. She is also on the board of directors for Women’s Transportation Seminar - Kansas City. In addition, Abel has been involved in the local and national American Public Works Association (APWA) serving as a President of the APWA’s Kansas City Metro Chapter in 2022, and member of numerous national APWA committees, including Small Cities/Rural Communities National Committee.
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“Alysen is going to be a huge asset to our team and clients,” said Transportation Team Leader Jason Langhammer, PE. “She’s widely trusted and respected throughout the region, and we know her experience in both the public and private sectors will help communities of all types grow with purpose.”
Abel said she was drawn to Garver for many reasons. She previously experienced Garver from a client’s perspective and appreciated Garver’s cross-disciplinary, client-focused approach. “There’s no silo effect,” she said. “We help each other out because that’s the best way to make the most impact on our projects and communities.”
Founded in 1919, Garver is an employee-owned multidisciplined engineering, planning, and environmental services firm with more than 1,000 employees across the United States. The company offers a wide range of services focused on aviation, buildings, construction, enterprise solutions, federal, survey, transportation, water, and wastewater.
