Two Otak Leaders Honored at DJC Women of Vision 2024

October, 2024

The Daily Journal of Commerce (DJC) Oregon’s annual event brought together members of the AEC industry to recognize the many accomplishments of women in the field. This year, the DJC Women of Vision Award was received by Kristen Ballou and Sarah Oaks.

Their recognition adds to a growing list of women at Otak that have been honored over the past several years:

• 2023 – Saretta Tillmaand, Amanda Owings, Margaret Steinhilber
• 2022 – Millicent Williams
• 2021 – Tanya Boyer, Rachel Laura, Cathy Kraus
• 2020 – Serah Breakstone, Tina Keller, Angela Khosa-Marangwanda
• 2019 – Ashley Cantlon, Amy Scheckla-Cox, Teresa Huntsinger

Learn more below about each and catch a glimpse of what their peers had to say as part of the nomination process.

Meet the Honorees

Kristen Ballou, Senior Civil Engineer

While designing transportation and utility improvements for communities across Oregon, Kristen Ballou has spent the past 24 years at Otak.

“The successful on-time and on-budget completion of Kristen’s projects was a huge part of the success of the overall Tualatin Transportation bond Program and a huge asset to our city.  The success of this program led to voter approval of a similar program for improvements in parks.”

– Mike McCarthy P.E., City Engineer, City of Tualatin

As a senior engineer, Kristen’s most significant accomplishments involve managing and designing detailed projects that provide multi-modal improvements and increased livability to local communities. An emphasis on Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines is consistently part of her approach. This includes streamlining development of CAD labeling for ramp design now used by engineers across the organization.

Kristen has also been an active member of the American Public Works Association (APWA), a regular volunteer with the Beaverton School District Art Literacy Program, and a mentor to junior engineers and designers.

Sarah Oaks, Director of Otak CPM

Beginning her career as an AmeriCorps Volunteer at Portland Public Schools (PPS), where she was a founding member of the Office of School Modernization, Sarah Oaks now provides leadership for Otak’s work in comprehensive project management.

“Sarah maintains a sense of stewardship alongside a strong lens of investment in people and culture. She routinely evaluates business growth from a perspective of how to support pathways for professional development of staff, creating a culture of excellence and attraction that people want to continue to be a part of.”

– Shawn Klinkner, Senior Project Manager, PM/CM, Otak

As her career has progressed, she’s continued volunteer and mentorship work with industry groups like the ACE Mentor Program. She has also kept a strong focus on public work, supporting numerous school bonds and central city revitalization efforts. In growing Otak’s PM/CM portfolio across multiple market segments, Sarah has also led a variety of internal initiatives around professional development. From supporting an international exchange program to the implementation a mentorship program, Sarah’s impact has led to stronger ties within Otak’s areas of expertise and has ushered significant growth of individual team members.