GenXYZ Nominees Thrive: Amanda Adams (2012) — Where is She Now?

Everyone was right when they predicted bright futures for these executives, entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders. Ten-plus years after ColoradoBiz profiled these Top Young Professionals of Colorado, we revisited several to see where their career paths led them and what they are doing now.

Some are with the same companies; others have moved on to different businesses and new roles.

For some, change was inevitable as their companies were acquired or merged with other entities. For still others, the desire to start something new was irresistible. All are continuing to meet and exceed their own career goals and engage with their communities.

The Gen XYZ Awards are open to those who are under 40 and live and work in Colorado.

Amanda Adams

2012: 29, Senior Geological Engineer, MWH Global

2024: Principal, Business Center Operations Lender, Mining, Minerals and Metals, Stantec

An expert in mining, water and tailing storage dams, Amanda Adams found she is also adept at another important skill, which is adapting to change.

In 2016 Adams was a senior geological engineer at the water and natural resources rm MWH Global when it was acquired by global design and consulting firm Stantec.

“I was very nervous,” says Adams, who had joined MWH Global in 2008. “It was a little bit of a change.”

Broom eld-based MWH Global focused on water and natural resources projects around the world. Canada-based Stantec offers engineering, architecture and project management, also around the world. At the time of the acquisition, MWH Global was employee-owned and had 7,000 employees, while the publicly traded Stantec had 15,000 employees.

Stantec has acquired dozens of companies since 2000, and now has more than 28,000 employees in 400-plus locations worldwide, according to its website.

Much of the MWH Global team remained and consolidated with a Stantec group to become one U.S. mining team. The group provides services from beginning to end, including exploration, environmental permitting, water management, waste management, operations and mine closure.

READ: Inside the Colorado Mining Industry — Impact of Broken Regulations for US

One of Adams’ areas of expertise is the intersection of mining and water, notably the storage of tailings, the waste materials left over after minerals are extracted. One of her big past projects extended more than eight years working on two tailing storage dams at the Cerro Verde Mine in Arequipa, Peru.

Along with all the other changes, Adams’ role shifted from a technical one that focuses on projects to one that focuses on her team. About two years ago she took a position as a business center operations leader. She handles operations, collaborates with human resources, communicates with finance and legal, and manages a team.

“It’s a totally different set of responsibilities than I had before,” she says. “I enjoy it. I am a pretty extroverted engineer.”

Managing a new team is exciting, Adams says, as they tackle various challenges together, from meeting budget goals to maintaining quality and safety on projects. There is currently much competition for top talent, and the company has been successful at keeping the team intact and evolving into a better and stronger group.

Still involved in volunteer work, Adams is a past president of the Denver chapter of Women in Mining. That organization has changed too, Adams says, shifting its focus from public outreach to school-age children, such as at Girl Scouts Day at Dinosaur Ridge, to a focus on women’s professional development in mining careers.

“If you look at the history, for a long time it was called Women in Mining, but it was women sort of affiliated with mining,” she says. “They were not directly involved in technical roles, and now so much of our membership is women in technical roles.”

Stantec, incidentally, became a corporate member of WIM at the Ruby level — a level of giving that is higher than Emerald but lower than Silver — in 2023.

WIM hosts conferences and offers short courses on leadership and other topics. “I was lucky when I did find opportunities to get involved in things I was interested in,” Adams says. “MWH Global and Stantec were always supportive of me in professional societies, and my work in professional societies helped me grow my network.”

Adams, who graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a bachelor of science degree in geological engineering, advises junior members of her Stantec team to do what she calls the extracurriculars.

“You need to be talking to potential clients or someone who could potentially be on your team,” she says. “If I only spoke with Stantec people I wouldn’t be where I am today. I had to build my connections, build my brand. It takes time, like another part-time job.”

Nora Caley is a freelance writer specializing in business and food topics.