Lynette Mellett, PE
Aviation Section Manager, HNTB Corp.
AGE: 37
- Alma Mater: Iowa State University
- What is your dream job? White water rafting guide
- Who has impacted your career the most? My parents – they were very hard working and always there to listen, support, and provide advice.
- If I could go anywhere, it would be: Machu Picchu, Peru
- If I could have dinner with anyone living or dead: My Grandfather – he was an amazing person!
- Favorite airport restaurant/eatery: Pork & Pickle at MCI
Lynette Mellett, PE was hired by HNTB as a project engineer in 2003 after graduating from Iowa State University. She worked on a variety of civil engineering projects and started on the aviation career path when she worked with three general aviation airports via “On Call” contracts and by the end of her first year she worked solely on aviation projects.
“I didn’t really think about aviation when I got into civil engineering. I didn’t even really know it was part of transportation projects that my degree was in,” she said. “After I started working at HNTB and I learned we had an aviation division it sparked an interest in me because I think it’s a fascinating field.”
Although her career has expanded, Mellett still works with those first three airports to this day.
Mellet is a strong advocate for general aviation airports because the benefit local communities economically while also providing a link for vital emergency transport services.
Mellett used her position to find new ways to drive efficiency within the company. When she became frustrated with the amount of time it took to create a spreadsheet to calculate quantities, she collaborated with the HNTB IT Department to develop a new tool to make the process more efficient.
In 2013, Mellett was named aviation section manager and is responsible for the delivery of all civil aviation projects from HNTB’s Kanas City office. In the past four years alone, aviation sales have jumped more than $4 million under her leadership.
Mellett serves executive secretary of the Kansas Association of Airports. The position allows her to draft white papers on policy changes and issues impacting airports.
