“Engineers are logical thinkers. And politics is not logical,” said Marsia Geldert-Murphey.
Geldert-Murphey, P.E., F.ASCE, a senior associate at GBA and ASCE 2024 president, is running for a seat in Illinois’ state senate. Like other civil engineers running for office, she hopes to bring the perspective she gained in the industry to the seat she seeks.
When she decided to enter the race, she thought voters would be excited to have an engineer run for office. But what she found was something different.
“There’s been criticism that I haven’t been involved in local politics longer, and they see that as a negative. That’s a mark against me,” Geldert-Murphey said. “But I’ve been working in the community and in this district for over 30 years.
“I know the district. I’ve designed and built projects in almost every community in this district. I thought that was a huge asset,” she continued.
In the logical, solutions-driven mind of a civil engineer, that experience makes for a great candidate.
“In politics, it’s not so much what you know. Based on my experience so far, it’s who you know,” said Geldert-Murphey. “And if you’re not in that circle, it makes it more challenging.”
Why civil engineers?
Although the nature of politics and engineering are vastly different, office-seeking civil engineers are committed to bringing their message on infrastructure to political spaces.
As the people who know “how things operate at the boots-on-the-ground-level,” civil engineers have unique insights into the inner workings of America’s infrastructure, Geldert-Murphey said. And despite their small presence in elected positions, civil engineers engage in plenty of advocacy work. One example is ASCE’s annual Legislative Fly-In, where civil engineers travel to Washington, D.C., to meet with legislators to further the infrastructure cause.
ASCE’s Report Card for America’s Infrastructure also serves as a tool to inform legislators and anyone else interested about the state of America’s infrastructure. At the federal level, this has been successful, generating more conversation and driving policy around infrastructure.
At the state level, there have also been successes. Nancy Cline, P.E., CFM, F.ASCE, president of NSC Engineering, pointed to the ASCE Texas Section’s “drive-in” that takes place during the biennial legislative sessions.
“In the last decade, two major propositions to fund roads and several for water and flooding have been approved that have greatly improved the planning, funding, and delivery of infrastructure in the state,” she said.
But despite these wins, progress has been slow, leading to “questions about the slow improvement (if any) in the report card scores.” The latest Texas state infrastructure report card was released in February 2025 and assigned an overall grade of C, a repeat of the 2021 grade.
Cline has been active in state and local politics in Texas since 2005, when she was elected to the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District board. She served for 15 years before running for state representative in the 2020 primary. In 2021, she was elected as a nonpartisan member of the Carrollton City Council, where she continues to serve.
To drive more progress at the state and local levels – where Geldert-Murphey said the condition of infrastructure “is felt more profoundly” – civil engineers must help the public link infrastructure to their own lives.
“It directly affects public safety and is an economic and environmental issue. Poor roads cost drivers in repairs and delays, inadequate drinking water systems threaten health, aging infrastructure increases disaster risks,” she said. “A weak infrastructure undermines our ability to respond effectively to increasing climate events and support growing populations.”
What has worked with politicians, said Jose Aguilar, P.E., ENV SP, M.ASCE, Arizona road and highway team lead at Stantec, is “advocacy based on data.”
“When engineers quantify economic return, safety improvements, and life-cycle cost savings, policymakers listen,” said Aguilar, who recently pursued a spot on the ballot to represent Arizona’s 7th Congressional District.
What could be improved, he continued, is telling “the human story behind the technical work.”
Andrew Kline, EIT, M.ASCE, a planning specialist at TPD, is one civil engineer who has taken the plunge into local politics. Following the resignation of a school board member in Pennsylvania’s Oley Valley School District in 2024, Kline applied to fill the spot. He was chosen for the role and has since been elected by voters. He has used his position to bring attention to aging school infrastructure in the small district.
“Our high school is approximately 75 years old, so there are challenges with aging infrastructure and the ability to maintain and upkeep that,” said Kline. “Student safety and the safety of our staff is important, but there’s also the simple things; there are schools that don’t have air conditioning, or their heating systems can’t keep up with these cold temperatures that we’ve been having – and that creates significant issues.
“So, while it might not seem like the obvious realm of infrastructure, it is a really critical piece of infrastructure that impacts every community, and you need to have schools that are safe and stable to support the education of the next generation.”
A different, challenging landscape
Infrastructure expertise, though clearly a plus, isn’t always what shines the brightest in politics. What matters even more is communication – something civil engineers aren’t always taught.
“Engineers sometimes assume the numbers speak for themselves, but politics is about people,” Aguilar said. “We need to get better at connecting infrastructure to daily life, such as shorter commute times, safer intersections, reliable water systems, and economic opportunity.”
Aguilar’s experience in the industry has taught him that infrastructure is personal, and that should be emphasized when engaging with the public in the political sphere.
“What we might view as a technical roadway improvement, a resident experiences as a safer route to work or school,” he said. “What we analyze as drainage capacity, a homeowner sees as flood protection for their family.”
What could be causing the communication barrier is that civil engineers are, first and foremost, problem-solvers who want to complete their work as efficiently and effectively as possible.
“As engineers, we are terrible about marketing because that’s not where we come from. We don’t market. As a profession, we don’t. We just get the job done,” Geldert-Murphey said. “You tell us that this bridge needs to be replaced, or we need to fix this slope that’s failed, or our water treatment plant is not working at the capacity it needs to. Then we solve the problem, right?”
Carol Martsolf, P.E., PMP, ENV SP, CPTD, LEED AP, F.ASCE, is a civil engineer who serves as director of engineering services at Envision Consultants and as an elected member of the Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, Borough Council, where she is currently serving her second term. She believes the communication barrier, though real and challenging, is something that can be overcome by talking with other civil engineers who have experience in politics or taking other steps to learn how to communicate in political spaces.
During her election bid, she had to adapt. And after winning, she faced a different type of communication challenge.
“When you communicate as someone seeking office, you are not under the same requirements as someone who is in the office,” said Martsolf, who previously served as ASCE Region 2 director. “When you are elected, you serve everyone, even those who did not support you in your campaign. You represent every single person in your constituency.”
What helped Martsolf adjust was taking a training course for elected officials. And she believes other civil engineers who may be put off from politics due to the lack of communication training might become more interested in running for office if they talked to others who have been in the same position.
And of course, there is the other side of communication: listening.
“Engineers are trained to solve problems, but in politics you first have to understand what problem the community believes needs solving,” Aguilar said. “That perspective has made me a better professional and a more thoughtful leader.”
For Martsolf, active listening was a larger learning curve than she expected.
“I’ve always believed in active listening and the importance of it, but it’s at a higher level when you are an elected official,” she said. “Listening to my constituents is one of the most important things that I do.”
Time and funding are additional barriers for civil engineers.
Upon taking office, Kline was hit with the realization that, despite his civil engineering acumen, there was a lot to learn about the other aspects of the role.
“Whatever your position may be, you’re coming in with a proficiency in a certain area,” Kline said. “In my case, I came in with an understanding of engineering. Well, I don’t have the same baseline understanding on the curriculum side or on the personnel and contracts side.
“So, there’s a lot of time that you need to take to get yourself up to speed and to be educated and to be able to speak on those topics,” he said.
For him, it was the principle of advocating for public education that kept him motivated to learn.
“I’m not losing sight of my engineering background and the need to advocate for those issues, but ultimately it’s a volunteer position,” said Kline. “I don’t get paid to be on the school board, so I have to find time I can dedicate to my community service through research or whatever it may be.”
Having run several campaigns in Texas, including for her city council seat, Cline has learned “valuable, expensive lessons” about the process – and the costs.
“Tackling a possibly painful, expensive election race requires support from family and employers,” she said. “It can also impact the type of work you are able to perform.”
“Serving in elected office can also be rewarding, especially since as civil engineers we are a people serving profession,” she added.
Can barriers be broken?
Differences between the realms of politics and civil engineering are stark. But it isn’t necessarily a lack of interest that dissuades more civil engineers from pursuing office.
“I think just not understanding politics prevents civil engineers from entering the fray,” Martsolf said. “But if we reframe ‘politics’ as ‘community builders’ or some other phrase that is less intimidating, more civil engineers may enter public elected office.”
She noted the training ASCE offers for the Legislative Fly-In as something that has helped civil engineers gain more political skills.
But it doesn’t entirely cover the ins and outs of running a campaign.
“I think we need to do the same for engineers who want to run a campaign – teach us how to do that,” Geldert-Murphey said. “We’re intelligent people.
“But if we’re not a member of the club, then we’ve got to find our own source to understand how to do this. And I think that would be hugely valuable,” she said.
Despite the challenges of running a campaign and assuming office, holding an elected position can greatly expand the scope of a civil engineering career.
“As an elected official, your role as a civil engineer is enhanced, in that it’s not just the engineering you are focused on, but the funding and what the community thinks about the project,” Martsolf said.
And right now, it’s those who secure the funding who are up there cutting the ribbon when an infrastructure project is finished, Geldert-Murphey noted.
And the lack of an engineer’s physical presence sends a message that presents a question: “Who is important to that structure?”
Geldert-Murphey believes there is room for civil engineers to stand alongside politicians on those stages.
“It’s not second nature to go and celebrate our successes and projects. But we need to. We have to,” she said. “And it’s not about ego at all. It’s not about hubris – it’s about educating the public and young people who maybe want to do what we do.”
And even for civil engineers who remain hesitant about taking on campaigns, there are plenty of other ways to get involved in politics. Aguilar cited serving on advisory committees, supporting bond initiatives, advocating with professional organizations like ASCE, and testifying at public hearings as other methods of political engagement.
“Civic engagement does not always mean partisan politics,” he said. “It can mean educating decision-makers, mentoring future leaders, supporting ballot measures, or serving on commissions.”
Cline recommends municipal and school board elections as a good, non-partisan starting place.
“Civil engineers should apply for boards and commission appointments such as planning and zoning,” she said. “They can also volunteer to support election campaigns at all levels.
“Offer your time, and ultimately your knowledge can be shared too,” she said.
