Snohomish County division director selected to American Public Works Association Board

Fahning brings nearly 25 years of knowledge and a passion for mentoring.

December 21, 2017 10:30 am
Snohomish County division director selected to American Public Works Association Board

Snohomish County public works engineering services director Janice Fahning has been improving transportation infrastructure for nearly 25 years.

Her hard work, knowledge and leadership is being recognized by the American Public Works Association with an election to serve as a 2018-19 board member for Washington.

“Janice is an invaluable member of our public works team and this selection shows how much others value her engineering knowledge and leadership,” Snohomish County public works director Steve Thomsen said in a press release. “She has the ability to listen and collaborate along with being a strong leader. That will only make the APWA board that much more effective.”

In the release, Fahning said in engineering it is important to build a strong team and she is looking forward to being a part of the APWA board. She hopes to learn from the experience and bring that knowledge back to Snohomish County. She also wants to use her commitment to mentoring to help the next generation of engineering leaders through the APWA.

“I have a passion for bringing people together and that is what APWA does,” Fahning said in the release. “It provides a valuable network for public works employees and industry professionals from across the state. Members can use its numerous resources to share information that will improve their communities, leverage a network of professionals and learn about new products and professional development. I am excited to be a part of that.”

Within Snohomish County, Fahning oversees the right of way, design, survey, geotech and construction teams with an annual budget of about $40 million.

According to the release, she was presented with the 2016 President’s Award from the Washington State Association of County Engineers and presented “Partnering to Rebuild after the Oso Landslide” during the APWA Spring 2016 Conference. Fahning has also worked for the Washington State Department of Transportation in construction and design, managing an office with projects totaling $100 million and served on the Association of General Contractors of Washington Board from 2014-16.