Walden is excited to announce the hiring of two new project engineers. Gwendolyn Burke, P.E., Engineer II, works in Walden’s Hudson Valley office, and Alejandra Cordoba Alvarez, Engineer I, joins us at our headquarters in Oyster Bay. We are happy to welcome them both to the team!
Gwendolyn Burke, P.E.
Burke has many years of professional experience, both as an engineer and a teacher. In her engineering career, she has worked as an Assistant Facility Engineer and an Environmental Specialist for the MTA. As Assistant Facility Engineer, she was responsible for the oversight of construction and major maintenance projects at the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. In her role as Environmental Specialist, Burke’s responsibilities included providing assistance to facility engineers on bridge and tunnel-related matters, reviewing project specifications, and preparing and reviewing Environmental Assessments.
Prior to her work at the MTA, Burke was a Project Manager at a company in the field of medical waste management. In this position, she directed a team of five people, spoke at waste management conferences, conducted training seminars at hospitals, performed site surveys and feasibility studies, communicated with regulatory agencies, and negotiated contracts and permits.
Burke has also worked as a teacher and tutor over the past two decades. She has taught various science and math courses including Regents/honors/AP-level physics, general/Regents/honors-level chemistry, and engineering, mostly at the high school level. She has also tutored students from elementary school to high school in science and math.
Burke graduated from Clarkson University with her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, and obtained a Master of Engineering in Environmental Engineering from Manhattan College. She also has a Master of Business Administration in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business and an Advanced Certificate in Secondary Education, Chemistry (Grades 7-12) from PACE University.
Alejandra Cordoba Alvarez
Cordoba Alvarez has over eight years of experience as an environmental engineer. She is proficient in the design and implementation of strategies to minimize environmental impact and ensure regulatory compliance. In her previous roles, she has demonstrated the ability to drive environmental policy change by leading and working effectively with diverse teams. Cordoba Alvarez’s engineering skills include environmental monitoring, hazardous material disposal, site investigation, project management, process improvement, and solid waste management.
In her most recent position as an Environmental Engineer for the Metropolitan Area of Aburra Valley (AMVA) in Medellín, Colombia, Cordoba Alvarez was responsible for ensuring that companies in the AMVA were in compliance with national environmental codes and regulations. She also worked with counties and municipalities to make sure that their projects complied with environmental requirements.
In another previous engineering role, she used GIS and surface water quality modeling software to analyze environmental processes related to surface and groundwater concessions, wastewater discharge, and atmospheric and emission permits. She also supervised the issuance of permits to companies and individuals in compliance with national environmental regulations.
Cordoba Alvarez graduated from the University of Medellín with her Bachelor’s in Environmental Engineering. She also earned an Environmental Law Certification from the university.
Walden is looking forward to all that Burke and Cordoba Alvarez will accomplish in their time here! If you are interested in working for a company where you can make a difference for customers, the community, and the environment, apply to one of Walden’s open positions today. You can also contact us at 516-559-6976 to learn more.