Jen Fager – T&M Associates

Jen Fager has spent her career challenging the notion that project management is merely administrative, redefining it as a leadership discipline that goes far beyond timelines. At its best, she believes that project management creates clarity, builds accountability, and connects people and systems in ways that ultimately determine whether complex projects and initiatives succeed or quietly unravel. That philosophy has guided her path from her start in environmental consulting to her current role as senior project manager at T&M Associates, where she is already helping shape how the firm thinks about the role of project managers in long-term growth.

T&M Associates is a leading engineering and technical services firm focused on innovative solutions that advance its clients’ goals and sustain communities. The firm’s work spans infrastructure, transportation, environmental services, and public works initiatives. Its niche lies in integrating technical expertise with long-term operational value, delivering solutions that support community growth while maintaining accountability, safety, and sustainability.

Only a few months into the position, Jen is still learning the full breadth of the company’s operations. Yet her presence is already noticeable. Her approach blends rigorous process thinking with a collaborative leadership style that encourages teams to think more intentionally about how projects move from concept to completion.

Process as a leadership tool

Jen describes herself as both highly structured and deeply collaborative, two traits that shape how she approaches every project environment. Rather than imposing rigid systems from the top down, she studies how teams already function and then works to strengthen the processes that support them.

“I’m a process-driven person, but I’m also a collaborator,” Jen says.

Her first months at T&M have largely been spent observing and asking questions. She studies how work flows through the organization, how project finances are tracked, and where teams experience friction in meeting deadlines and metrics.

“I want to take the struggle and hurdles out of the equation so people can focus on doing what they do best – great work,” she says.

For Jen, project managers are not just coordinators. They create clarity inside environments where complexity and change are constant. Through strong processes and a clear understanding of each team member’s role, project managers create a structure that allows engineers and technical experts to focus on solving complex problems and designing solutions.

Building a career through discipline

Jen’s path into the industry began with a pivot. She entered college planning to study marine science, drawn to the idea of research and discovery. It quickly became clear that the academic path did not match the pace and impact she wanted from her career.

Geology courses captured her interest, and she shifted her major at Rider University. After a year with the U.S. Geological Survey, she found her path in environmental consulting, where projects moved quickly, deadlines mattered, and success depended on teamwork across multiple disciplines.

Early in her career, a supervisor delivered advice that reshaped her professional habits.

“You’re going to be given a lot more work. You need to figure it out.”

The conversation pushed her to build systems for managing tasks, anticipating project needs, communicating more clearly with colleagues and clients, and shifting from a reactive to a proactive mindset. Those habits eventually became the backbone of her professional identity, and those she shares with others she mentors.

Mentorship & lifting others

Mentorship remains central to how Jen defines leadership. Throughout her career, she has been deeply invested in mentoring and developing junior professionals – viewing talent development as both a responsibility and a long-term investment.

Her philosophy is simple. Building strong project teams, which focus on staff development, is not about filling immediate gaps but identifying and nurturing future leaders.

“I’m not looking for a warm body. I’m looking for someone I genuinely enjoy working and collaborating with and who will have the privilege of shaping them into a leader someday,” she says.

She frequently asks young professionals questions that help them think intentionally about their future.

“Is this something you want to be doing? Does it align with your goals? Where do you want to be in five years, and how do we take steps now to get you there?”

Jen believes project management, like engineering or geology, is a specialty that deserves focused development and mentorship.

She is also passionate about supporting women in technical fields.

“Women need to encourage one another to speak up, share our experiences, and create opportunities to support each other, not just professionally, but personally as well.”

Projects that shaped her perspective

Several high-profile projects have shaped how Jen views project leadership. One involved a major university in New Jersey dealing with contamination caused by volatile organic compounds trapped in fractured bedrock beneath an active campus.

Traditional remediation approaches had failed because contaminants were trapped within a complex geological formation. The eventual solution involved deploying Electrical Resistance Heating, a technology rarely used at that scale within a university setting.

The active remediation phase lasted roughly nine months and ultimately reduced contaminant source mass by more than 95%. The project required coordination between technical experts, geologists, trusted drilling partners, construction teams, regulators, and university leadership while maintaining safety across an active campus.

The experience reinforced a lesson Jen carries into every project. Successful outcomes depend on trust between stakeholders, disciplined coordination, and the willingness to pursue bold solutions when incremental approaches fail.

Another demanding assignment involved a large-scale investigation that required remote operations, strict timelines, and coordination across multiple offices nationwide. Managing budgets, staffing rotations, and reporting structures under intense scrutiny strengthened her ability to lead under pressure and helped further develop her project management skills.

The future at T&M

At T&M Associates, Jen is now applying those lessons to a new environment. Her immediate focus is on understanding how the organization manages projects and identifying opportunities to strengthen those systems.

Rather than immediately pursuing new business, she chose to step into the senior project manager role and study the company’s operations. She analyzes workflow patterns, financial tracking systems, and utilization metrics to understand how projects move through the firm.

Her goal is to help T&M develop and strengthen project management as a distinct discipline, one that supports mentoring emerging professionals while allowing the firm to scale without sacrificing discipline or profitability.

Long term, Jen hopes to become a portfolio manager while mentoring other project managers and young professionals throughout the organization. Her vision is to elevate project management into a recognized leadership discipline within consulting firms.

Across every stage of her career, Jen has returned to the same principle. Projects succeed because people succeed. By building systems that remove confusion and empower teams, she believes organizations can deliver stronger results while creating healthier professional environments.

That belief continues to guide her work at T&M Associates, where she is helping redefine project management not as an administrative role but as a leadership discipline that connects strategy, people, and purpose.