Overview
Walter P Moore proudly announces that Jessalyn Nelson, PE has been named the 2021 recipient of the Javier F. Horvilleur Outstanding Young Professional Award. The Horvilleur Award is presented annually to one young professional at the firm who has exemplified excellence in technical design, client service, and business acumen. The award is named for and is in appreciative memory of Javier F. Horvilleur, PE (1954-2002), who was an inspirational leader-engineer at the firm for over two decades.
The award was presented by selection committee chair Mark Waggoner, Senior Project Manager for the Structures Group, and Steve Blumenbaum, Director of Construction Engineering. The presentation was made at the annual Structures Group Operations Meeting held virtually on October 14, 2021.
Jessalyn is a Senior Associate and Senior Project Manager in Walter P Moore’s Houston office and has worked on a wide variety of project types, including higher education buildings, aquariums, and hospitals. She successfully leads some of the firm’s largest and most complex projects such as the Collaborative Research Building in the new Texas Medical Center development (TMC3) and the Houston Zoo Galápagos Islands exhibit.
“Jessalyn has truly become a leader within our group and continues to impress clients,” says Dennis Wittry, Regional Director of Structural Engineering.
In addition to her role at Walter P Moore, her projects have been featured in industry publications such as Modern Steel Construction and have won awards through ENR and AIA Houston. In 2020, the San Jacinto College Engineering and Technology Building won an AIA Houston Award in the “Divine Detail” category, on the strength of her creative work in designing and detailing a series of architectural concrete columns, which split at mid-height forming a Y.
Jessalyn is a licensed engineer in Texas and holds a master’s degree in structural engineering from Tufts University and an undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Lafayette College.
“Jessalyn is the 19th recipient of our firm’s esteemed Horvilleur Award. She has shown incredible dedication toward solving challenges for her clients and upholding our firm’s values. I am pleased that she is being recognized with this honor,” says Dilip Choudhuri, President & CEO.
Fun fact about Jessalyn: Jessalyn loves to run and plans vacations around destination races or uses running to explore new areas she’s visiting. It’s always a bonus when friends or family can join her on a running trip. So far, her races have been domestic—from San Francisco and Boston to Minneapolis and Houston, to name a few—but she looks forward to adding international destination races in the future.
