Join us in welcoming Kelly Carmina, PE, as she begins her role as Senior Project Manager. Kelly is a University of Buffalo alum with a background in Chemical Engineering. We are excited to have her join the team.
We asked Kelly a couple of questions to get to know her better.
What led you to Encorus?
I was looking for a team-oriented organization with people who share a collaborative mindset. The icing on the cake was Encorus’s ESOP structure, which gives employees the opportunity to help drive the business.
What are you most excited about as you start in your new position?
I’m excited about the company’s current backlog and strong outlook for the future. I can’t wait to start contributing, make an impact, and be part of the exciting journey ahead!
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A marine biologist! I was fascinated by Jacques Cousteau’s documentaries and dreamed of continuing his work exploring the underwater world – especially sharks.
What’s your favorite way to spend a day off?
I love heading to the Finger Lakes, stopping at the Finger Lakes Cider House, exploring hiking trails, and photographing waterfalls.
Do you have any pets?
I have two dogs, both rescues! We originally adopted Paige, a Catahoula Leopard Dog. When the rescue took our “new family” photo, one of Paige’s rescue friends managed to photobomb us. Within two weeks, my kids had convinced us that we needed to rescue him, too. The rescue told us he was a Beagle puppy, but he turned out to be a 120-pound English Foxhound! All the more to love!
What is your favorite book or movie?
I love any fiction book, especially if the story involves magic or dragons/fantasy creatures or is a mystery or is a thriller or has a surprise ending or is based on actual history or has a plot that really draws you in.
What was your favorite thing to do as a kid?
My grandparents had some waterfront property, and I loved to visit and enjoy the lake – water skiing, taking the boat out, finding and eating blackberries with my cousins as we walked in the woods, or just jumping off the dock and going for a swim.
Who was your favorite teacher in high school, and why?
Mrs. Palumbo, my college-level calculus teacher. She was continuing her own education while teaching us, and her love of learning was just as strong as her love of teaching. I think that gave her a unique perspective and helped her connect with us. She genuinely wanted us to understand what we were learning and would go the extra mile to show us how the concepts applied to real-world problems. She made learning meaningful, and that really stuck with me.
If you could invite anyone who has ever existed to a dinner party, who would you invite?
Leonardo da Vinci because he didn’t see science and art as separate, and he used each to deepen his understanding of the other. His curiosity seemed almost limitless, and I am fascinated by his power of not just ‘seeing’ but ‘observing’. And he didn’t simply observe what existed; he took it another step further and asked what else might be possible. Note that this was a very tight race against Jacques Cousteau!
