{"id":5624,"date":"2017-11-15T14:25:55","date_gmt":"2017-11-15T20:25:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/college-of-engineering\/?p=5624"},"modified":"2025-07-24T09:53:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T09:53:12","slug":"valpo-civil-engineering-alum-builds-world-of-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-engineering\/valpo-civil-engineering-alum-builds-world-of-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"A Solid Foundation: Valpo Alum Primed to Build a World of Difference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Valparaiso University alumnus Rebecca Otte at a worksite in New Orleans in October 2017.
PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Travel the world one day and build it the next. The architecture across Europe inspired Rebecca Otte \u201995 to work to preserve historic structures in the United States after earning her civil engineering degree from Valparaiso University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rebecca has led many projects as an environmental planner for the Regional Planning Commission\u2019s (RPC) Brownfield Redevelopment Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(BRP) in New Orleans. Through grants provided by the Environmental Protection Agency, the BRP assists developers, property owners and prospective purchasers to navigate the environmental obstacles of redeveloping abandoned and underutilized properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe purpose of the BRP is to promote economic development and create jobs in urban environments,\u201d Rebecca says. After starting her career as an environmental consultant in California, she moved to New Orleans and began overseeing the environmental aspects of the BRP at RPC, quickly transitioning to handling all aspects of the role, including overall project and grant management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One recent project was Progressive Church\u2019s Family Living Center site. The church purchased the property thinking it was getting simply a vacant lot but soon learned the soil contained asbestos. Rebecca oversaw the assessment and cleanup of the site, walking the church leaders through the environmental regulatory process and facilitating the relationship with the EPA and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. Progressive Church is now in the process of building their future Family Life Center to support their congregation and the surrounding community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rebecca also led redevelopment of the Bayou Treme Center, a vacant church, and school complex. Due to changing demographics, the buildings had been vacant for more than a decade when Bayou Treme LLC developed plans to revitalize the site. After the removal of an underground storage tank and plan development to address lead and asbestos contamination in the buildings through the BRP, the property is currently being redeveloped as the new home of Southern Rep Theatre, the Waldorf School, and a business incubator for home-based businesses in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Valparaiso University alumnus Rebecca Otte at a worksite in New Orleans in October 2017.
PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Just this past summer, Rebecca learned that the RPC was selected by the EPA to receive additional funding to redevelop properties along New Orleans\u2019 Industrial Canal that were abandoned following the closure of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet after Hurricane Katrina and from the changing needs of port commerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI work with a lot of developers,\u201d Rebecca says. \u201cThey know the development side once it\u2019s all cleaned up but are not necessarily experts on navigating the environmental process. That\u2019s where we come in. We\u2019re especially excited to be partnering with the Port of New Orleans and their efforts to revitalize the many blighted properties along the Industrial Canal corridor, creating jobs for nearby residents and restoring the community fabric.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family affair<\/strong>
\nRebecca\u2019s appreciation of architecture came from her grandparents, who helped develop plans for the Historic Trinity Lutheran Church in Detroit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy grandmother and grandfather traveled quite a bit throughout Europe,\u201d Rebecca says. \u201cSomehow that got passed down to me. My focus has long been on historic buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was on a three-week trip overseas while an undergraduate at Valpo that Rebecca combined her love of historic architecture with her growing knowledge of civil engineering and aspects of city planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTraveling helped build my confidence,\u201d Rebecca says. \u201cYou see different ways of doing things when you travel to different parts of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is difficult for Rebecca to choose her favorite European city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI loved them all,\u201d she says. \u201cBarcelona is amazing. I did a report on Antoni Gaudi\u2019s architecture in college. It was great to see it in person. I loved Venice and their system of canals and seeing an entire city without roads.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building a solid foundation<\/strong>
\nIt was the ability to travel abroad that attracted Rebecca to Valpo to study engineering. And like the historic buildings she admires, her career was built on a solid foundation at Valpo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had the full college experience. I was in a sorority. I was on the student council and newspaper staff. I loved the fact I could be well rounded at Valpo,\u201d Rebecca says. \u201cThe class sizes were small. They were taught by professors instead of graduate assistants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cProfessors gave us all a lot of personal attention. Their focus was on having us succeed. If you missed two or three classes in a row, they would start asking other students where you were to make sure you were okay. They were willing to work with you to help you learn. They wanted you to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rebecca\u2019s studies in the College of Engineering built a great foundation for her work today. As an undergraduate, she took a class on engineering management. \u201cThe class noted that most students may be an engineer for five to seven years but be managing people and projects for the rest of their career,\u201d Rebecca says. \u201cI\u2019ve found those from other colleges didn\u2019t receive that kind of education that prepared them for a long-term career and not just the immediate job out of school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also learned what it was like to be professional \u2014 giving countless presentations and working with a variety of people who weren\u2019t engineers. She spends her time presenting to and working with developers, environmental consultants, regulators, and more. \u201cI\u2019ve found myself being a translator between all of the various groups,\u201d Rebecca says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The art of organization
\n<\/strong>According to Caitlin Cain, a former colleague of Rebecca\u2019s at the RPC and current CEO of the World Trade Center of New Orleans, Rebecca is the epitome of the engineer\u2019s engineer. She is meticulous in her planning and analytical in all her projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRebecca was always the most organized and analytical among us. She was superb at all levels of project development from vision to execution,\u201d Caitlin says. \u201cOne of Rebecca’s most outstanding qualities is her passion. Rebecca treats program management, analysis, and organization as an art form.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caitlin recalls walking into Rebecca\u2019s office at the RPC where she would encounter \u201ca cornucopia of springtime color where every program, client, or initiative is displayed in a beautiful, intricate array of sticky notes, arrows, and spreadsheets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHer office, much like her personality, is full of joy \u2014 a program management passion-fest, which always made me smile,\u201d Caitlin says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From development to innovation<\/strong>
\nAfter graduation, Rebecca continued to give back to Valpo, where she served a three-year stint on the board for the Valpo Guild. As someone who sees development daily, she is proud to see the continued development at her alma mater. And she is encouraged by the continued development of young people \u2014 especially females \u2014 entering the engineering profession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe key aspect (to the engineering profession) is how many doors you can open with an engineering degree,\u201d Rebecca says. \u201cIf someone likes problem-solving, engineering is great for that. The thing with engineering is you have to learn from your failures. It\u2019s okay to fail. Too often students focus on test scores and not the learning process. With engineering, you have to be able to take risks and be innovative.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rebecca\u2019s other program, the Southeast Louisiana Clean Fuel Partnership, is grounded in innovation. The group is a U.S. Department of Energy\u2013designated Clean Cities Coalition, which promotes alternative fuels and advanced technologies in vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group partners with fuel providers, fleet managers, drivers, and cities, all to promote clean transportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe goal is energy security by diversifying fuel services, using more domestically produced fuel sources, and improving air quality,\u201d Rebecca says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rebecca sees her current work as a parallel to her days at Valpo \u2014 it\u2019s all about improving the world through exploration and innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something special about bonds you build with classmates during college,\u201d Rebecca says. \u201dAt Valpo, I was able to have multiple experiences. I had a holistic engineering education. It was not just technical, but I learned the soft skills of managing teams and people.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Travel the world one day and build it the next. The architecture across Europe inspired Rebecca Otte \u201995 to work to preserve historic structures in the United States after earning her civil engineering degree from Valparaiso University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[8,9,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-of-engineering-announcements","category-announcements","category-college-of-engineering"],"acf":[],"author_meta":{"display_name":"dev@eridesign.com","author_link":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-engineering\/author\/deveridesign-com\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-engineering\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/11\/42T4026-35-1-300x200.webp","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["College of Engineering Announcements<\/a>","Announcements<\/a>","College of Engineering<\/a>"],"unlinked":["College of Engineering Announcements<\/span>","Announcements<\/span>","College of Engineering<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 8 years ago","modified":"Updated 9 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on November 15, 2017","modified":"Updated on July 24, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on November 15, 2017 2:25 pm","modified":"Updated on July 24, 2025 9:53 am"},"featured_img_caption":"Valparaiso University alumnus Rebecca Otte at a worksite in New Orleans in October 2017. PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5624"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5656,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5624\/revisions\/5656"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}