Page 4 - CEGE Magazine Fall 2024

4 CEGE | CSE.UMN.EDU/CEGE
4 CEGE | CSE.UMN.EDU/CEGE
I learned a lot about myself, too. I am a
little bit introverted. I had to learn to give
speeches, to do forums and debates,
and improve my in-person and email
communication skills. But the public
speaking skills were big because, in
politics, your first impression can really
stick with people. The more I did it and
practiced, the better I got. It became
easier and sort of fun.”
Technical Expertise
Beginning work on the Council,
Jost found some of the day-to-day
tasks a bit familiar. The St. Paul City
Council is a part time appointment,
so Jost continues to work as a senior
consulting engineer at SEH where she
oversees other engineers and manages
projects. Although she is doing much
the same kind of work there that she
did before the election, it takes more
communication and coordination with
her teams to keep projects functioning
smoothly. Coming into the Council
with that professional experience, she
was used to working with a variety of
people, managing people and projects,
and keeping teams moving forward and
communicating with each other. Jost
summed it up, “All helpful!”
Her technical expertise has proven
to be practically applicable and her
engineering approach immediately
helpful. “In non-engineering settings,
I often hear that I ask different kinds
of questions. Engineers are used to
deadlines and working in a project-
based way. We are very organized.
We know how to take a complicated
problem and organize it in a way that a
result can be accomplished. So, I have
been able to be helpful in Ward 3 and
on the Council as we talk through a lot
of complicated issues.”
The City of St. Paul has a lot of
initiatives related to roads, development,
zoning, climate action, and the
environment. Jost’s engineering
experience means that she understands
road construction projects and how
those projects generally flow and are
funded. “I am very excited to talk about
the City’s sales tax issues and funding
for our many miles of roads projects.”
Her proficiency with technical drawings
and aptitude with specification language
and codes will be important as the City
Council considers zoning and potential
development projects. Her background
with climate mitigation projects at SEH
helps her understand presentations
about greenhouse gas emissions and
impacts of transportation and buildings
or PFAS in water. She can quickly
understand what is being presented
because of her familiarity with some of
the science and the language.
“A lot of my colleagues on the Council
don’t enjoy looking at lots of data
and spreadsheets, but I really enjoy
that. Having that expertise, I can take
some of these technical issues that
the City is dealing with and help others
understand. And I can help us come up
with solutions.”
The diversity on the current Council,
Jost says, is beneficial, “We are people
who see things differently and gather
information differently. When we come
together, we complement each other.”
Saura Jost’s deep roots in St. Paul,
deep experience in engineering, and
her deep commitment to excellence
embody CEGE’s vision of inspired and
innovative engineering for society. These
characteristics auger good things for
Jost’s beloved St. Paul.
City Hall offers art to inspire an engineer.
“EVEN IN THE FIRST SIX
MONTHS, I FOUND MY PREVIOUS
EXPERIENCE AND TECHNICAL
EXPERTISE TO BE USEFUL AND
APPRECIATED ON
THE CITY COUNCIL.”
- Saura Jost