We’re continuing to spotlight our expanding leadership team by congratulating Maria Peraki and Kelsie Jeppesen as the leads of Osborn Consulting’s new business groups! Sitting at the intersection of strategy, people, and delivery, our business group leaders play an active role in shaping the vision for Osborn’s future.
“Maria and Kelsie have consistently demonstrated the high-caliber leadership and forward-thinking mindset required to drive Osborn forward,” said Tarelle Osborn, president of Osborn Consulting. “As business group leads, they will be instrumental in bridging our strategic vision with the technical and creative excellence our clients expect. I couldn’t be prouder to have them both at the forefront of our company.”
Our team is passionate about collaboration, technical excellence, and making a positive impact on the communities and environments we serve.
Read on to hear what they’re most looking forward to in their new roles, standout projects they’ve worked on, and the hobbies and interests that fuel them outside of work!
Maria Peraki, PhD, PE
Water
Joining Osborn in 2019, Maria oversees as large variety of planning and design projects in Western Washington focused on areas such as green stormwater infrastructure, stormwater conveyance, regional water quality, non-motorized improvements, culvert replacement, and creek restoration.
Can you tell us about your career?
I started in this industry a little differently, in the academic space, getting my PhD in civil and environmental engineering. Making the decision to go into consulting was a big career milestone for me and a highlight of my career path so far. Osborn has been supporting me ever since!
What’s been a favorite project of yours?
There are so many to pick from! One example is the Taylor Creek Restoration Project in Seattle, which was the first major project I managed—I learned a great deal from it. More recently, I worked on the Louis Thompson Road Tightline project, where close collaboration with the City of Sammamish made a significant positive impact on the corridor safety and protection of the creek water quality.
On the planning side, the Aurora Storm & Sewer Conveyance project was a highlight because it was a great experience to see the team collaborate so closely with Seattle Public Utilities on a large-scale planning level project to resolve system capacity issues.
What are you most looking forward to as a business group lead?
It provides me with even more opportunities to interact with team members. The people part of this job was already one of my favorite aspects, so I’m excited to be able to do more of that. This role also enhances my ability to provide benefits to our communities through the expanded scope of projects my team is leading. It’s a personal challenge to take our work to the next level and figure out the tools and processes that can lead to success for us and our clients.
What keeps you busy outside of work?
I love reading, baking, landscape and wildlife photography, playing the piano, and watching Formula 1 racing!
Kelsie Jeppesen, Business Group Lead
Special Projects
Joining Osborn in 2021, Kelsie uses her experience in the construction industry to effectively partner and deliver design-build projects. She thrives on tackling new challenges in each of her projects and especially enjoys opportunities to develop skills, streamline procedures, and experience different scopes of work. She is an expert in identifying and mitigating project risk. Kelsie also leads Osborn’s Alternative Delivery practice.
Can you tell us about your career?
I came to Osborn with a civil construction background, beginning as a field engineer intern during college on a WSDOT design project and spending 10 years working on heavy civil construction projects.
That construction experience informs my approach to project management today, helping me get ahead of common design-phase pitfalls, understand what contractors care about, and anticipate the questions and needs that arise on alternative delivery projects during design.
What’s been a favorite project of yours?
I love working with different disciplines and with construction teams on projects. WSDOT’s fish passage project for the North Olympics was a highlight for me because it was our first design build fish passage win. In collaboration with our natural resources and landscape architecture design teams, we designed two fish-barrier removal stream crossings and developed the restoration design for all four crossings included in the project. One of the stream crossings we delivered was constructed approximately 60 feet below the roadway, and the photos of the completed site are particularly impressive.
What are you most looking forward to as a business group lead?
I am looking forward to the new projects we participate in within the Alternative Delivery arena and to seeing how many in-house disciplines we can bring together to collaborate effectively.
I also enjoy working with data and numbers. As a business group lead, and with several new software programs we are implementing this year, I am excited to see what the power of good data can unlock for our team. I look forward to diving deeper into these tools to support project managers in delivering projects more efficiently and improving project planning overall.
What keeps you busy outside of work?
I’m a mom to two boys, 5 and 7, and they keep me pretty busy. We’re also a big skiing family. I love getting up to the mountains with my family every weekend and watching them turn into pro skiers!
Join us in celebrating Maria and Kelsie and learn more about Osborn’s entire leadership team.
