WSP has announced the appointment of Coral Torres Cruz, EIT, as senior vice president and lead for grant strategy and development services. Torres Cruz brings extensive experience, having most recently served as chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s office of the Under Secretary.
In her new role, Torres Cruz will lead WSP’s grants strategy and development group, which helps clients plan, secure, and manage competitive grant funding from federal, state, and local sources. She will be instrumental in collaborating with both public and private entities to identify potential funding sources and oversee the management of awarded grants.
Jannet Walker-Ford, business line executive for Advisory and Planning at WSP, praised Torres Cruz’s comprehensive understanding of the grant application process, cultivated over 16 years in federal government. Her experience includes providing strategic transportation policy advice with focus on climate and equity initiatives as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which facilitated the allocation of over $660 billion for infrastructure projects nationwide.
Torres Cruz has held pivotal roles in transportation, including senior advisor to the administrator of the Federal Highway Administration and senior sustainability officer for the White House Council on Environmental Quality. She holds a bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and a master’s degree in transportation engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
WSP’s Advisory and Planning group is dedicated to creating strategic funding approaches for various infrastructure investments, having successfully helped clients secure approximately $24.3 billion in BIL funding since 2021. The firm emphasizes early financial feasibility considerations during planning to ensure successful outcomes for infrastructure projects.
As a leading player in the professional services sector, WSP aims to cultivate sustainable solutions across various industries with its workforce of around 19,000 employees in 300 U.S. offices, aspiring to make a positive impact on communities through innovation and integrity.
This significant leadership change at WSP could pave the way for enhanced strategies in securing essential infrastructure funding, addressing pressing community needs in sustainability and equity.
To summarize, the appointment of Coral Torres Cruz is anticipated to strengthen WSP’s capabilities in navigating the complexities of grant funding, leveraging her government experience to potentially unlock vital resources for critical infrastructure projects across the United States.